Curiosity
by MidwesternMandarin
Summary: AU, no werewolves, everyone is human. Ethan and Aiden are new to Beacon Hills. Isaac is a complete loner and everyone just accepts that. But Ethan is curious as to why that is. Isaac seems like a decent person, but for some reason he doesn't have any friends. Ethan would like to change that if he can. Lame summary is lame, rated M only because I'm paranoid.
1. Chapter 1

Ethan/Isaac

Author's Note: So this is AU, no werewolves. Everyone is human. Also, I feel the need to point out that there is almost nothing out there that focuses on Ethan and Isaac. Which I find disappointing, I would love to read some good Ethan/Isaac stories. But since there isn't much else out there, here's my contribution. Hope you enjoy.

* * *

Ethan knew he would've been nervous about his first day at a new school if he hadn't done this with his brother so many times already. It was nothing about him and his brother, their family just moved around basically every year. So he walked into Beacon Hills High School with his brother at his side, both of them wondering why it was their family had decided that this was the place to finally stop moving around and settle down.

The day went by pretty much as he expected. Some of the teachers pointed him and his brother out as the new kids, some just went about teaching as if nothing had changed. They didn't really have a chance to talk until lunch, but first there was the issue of where to sit. Ethan and Aiden stared out at the tables after getting their food.

Ethan's eyes were drawn to the emptier tables and one table in particular. There was just one person sitting there, a guy with curly hair and long limbs, and he had a textbook open in front of him. His clothes were kind of plain and simple and they covered almost every inch of him. His sleeves came up onto his hands.

But then Aiden nudged him with his elbow and he turned to see his brother looking at a table that had a few people sitting there and a few empty chairs. One of the guys was waving, clearly inviting them over. Aiden glanced at him and he shrugged, fine with sitting there and fine with not sitting there. But Aiden's mind was made up and he headed over, Ethan a step behind.

They all introduced themselves and Ethan was happy to see that Scott, Stiles, and Allison were very friendly, if a little quirky. It became clear pretty quickly that these three weren't among the most popular crowd, but Ethan wasn't concerned about that. He could see Aiden frowning as he realized that. Ethan could also see that Scott was completely infatuated with Allison and he hoped the feelings were reciprocated because Scott kind of reminded him of a puppy.

It didn't take long for Ethan's eyes to wander back toward the guy sitting at a table by himself and, while Stiles was rambling on about who was who in Beacon Hills, he found himself asking, "Who's that over there, sitting by himself?"

Everyone follows his gaze, then Stiles easily says, "That's Isaac. He never talks to anyone."

Everyone else at the table seemed willing to leave it at that, but Ethan pressed, "Why not?"

It was Scott who answered this time, with a shrug, "I don't know and I'm not sure anyone else does, either. He just never talks to anyone unless he has to. Stiles and I tried inviting him over once because he looks like he could really use a friend, but he just said no."

Stiles nodded in agreement, "Its not like he's a loser or anything. I mean, his grades are good and he's one of the better players on the lacrosse team. He just … doesn't have any friends … doesn't talk to anyone."

Ethan frowned, wondering why someone wouldn't have any friends, "Maybe he's shy?"

Stiles snorted, "More like terrified. When Scott and I tried, it was like we were threatening to kill him or something. He couldn't get away fast enough."

He didn't really have anything else to say, so he let the conversation shift away from Isaac and to … Stiles' apparent relationship issues. Which seemed to revolve around his years-long crush on Lydia Martin and his newfound attraction to some older guy named Derek, who Stiles said multiple times wasn't old. Just past his college years. Ethan wasn't sure how to respond to that considering everyone at the table was sixteen and this Derek was an adult, but he was sure that as soon as Aiden saw Lydia his brother was going to make a move. It was only a matter of time. So for Stiles' own good, Ethan hoped that Derek wasn't a perv and that Stiles would take a chance with Derek.

After lunch, Ethan kept an eye open for Isaac in his remaining classes. They had a couple classes together, but Isaac always sat near the back and didn't say a word, didn't draw attention to himself in any way. And everyone else just went along with it as if everything was perfectly normal. But as the school day came to an end, Ethan decided to stay to watch the lacrosse team practice and Aiden stayed as well. Ethan knew his brother was only staying because the wheels in his mind were already spinning toward the goal of hooking up with Lydia Martin and being an important member of the big team probably wouldn't hurt.

It didn't take him long to see that Scott and Stiles had been right, Isaac was a good player. Ethan wasn't very familiar with lacrosse, but it wasn't hard to see that Isaac was a defender. With his tall body, long arms, and long stick, no one had an easy time getting by Isaac.

Aiden nudged him and quietly said, "Looks like I'm not the only one who's spotted someone. Isaac, huh?"

Ethan shrugged uncomfortably, "I'm not sure yet. I'm just … curious. If he's smart and a good lacrosse player, why doesn't he have any friends?"

Aiden patted him on the shoulder, "If you say so. But if you do end up bringing him home, let me know so I can make plans."

He just grinned and shook his head, knowing he would never stop being surprised by Aiden's focus on sex rather than relationships. It was probably due to how often their family forced them to move. He guessed Aiden didn't want to get hurt by leaving someone behind every time they moved. Not that Aiden would ever confirm that.

As soon as the practice ended, Aiden said, "You should go talk to Isaac if you want. I'll talk to the coach and see if we can get on the team."

Ethan didn't need to be told twice and got up quickly, but as he walked over to the field he saw Isaac hurrying back to the locker rooms as fast as he could without flat out running. He knew he couldn't catch Isaac without running after him and he didn't want to look weird by chasing after him that blatantly. Thankfully, Scott saw him and headed over.

When he saw who Ethan was looking at, he smiled apologetically, "Sorry, if I'd known you'd be here I would've told you. Isaac's usually the first person on the field and the first one off."

Well, that was frustrating, but Ethan tried not to let his frustration show, "Thanks. I guess I'll just have to find some other time to talk to him."

Scott nodded, "If you ever need help with that, feel free to ask."

"Thanks."

* * *

The next day Ethan was determined not to miss his opportunity to talk to Isaac. Scott had suggested that they all just sit down at the table Isaac always sat at for lunch, but Ethan had vetoed that idea. He figured if Isaac really was so shy and uncomfortable around people as he seemed then it would probably be a little overwhelming to suddenly have almost half a dozen people sit down beside him. So when it came time for lunch, Ethan went over to Isaac's table on his own.

Isaac looked up at him and stared as he sat down, clearly surprised that someone would sit down at the same table as him, but didn't say anything as he turned back to the textbook and notebook in front of him. That wasn't exactly encouraging and Ethan couldn't help but feel a bit of doubt creeping in. For a few minutes he didn't say anything, instead focusing on eating his lunch and trying to be subtle as he could as he watched Isaac, who kept sneaking glances at him as well. No doubt he was wondering what Ethan was doing, while Ethan hoped that Isaac would get used to his presence a bit more easily if he wasn't immediately forcing him into a conversation. He figured that small steps would be better than taking giant leaps.

Hoping to get a conversation going, he asked, "What are you studying?"

Ethan wasn't sure what to think when Isaac stared at him for a few seconds before answering, "Chemistry. Why?"

At least Isaac didn't look scared or nervous, just confused as if he wasn't used to other people just talking to him, so Ethan took that as a good sign, "I'm just wondering what the hard classes are. My brother and I are new here."

He hoped talking about classes was a safe subject and, after another few seconds of Isaac staring at him, it seemed he was right because Isaac quietly said, "Anything with Mr. Harris will be tough, the guy's a dick. So chemistry, physics, any science class really. Um, if you have Coach Finstock teaching any of your classes, make sure you do all the reading and all the homework."

Ethan frowned, confused, "Why? Is he really harsh or something?"

Isaac shook his head, "He's actually a really easy grader, but he's kind of nuts. You never really know what he's going to do until you actually see him do it."

"Okay. Should I be worried?"

Another shake of the head from Isaac, "I don't think so. Greenberg is the only person he ever really seems to dislike."

With that, Isaac went back to his studying and Ethan decided not to push. It hadn't been much, but their little conversation had been pretty normal. No freaking out or wanting to run away on Isaac's part, which made Ethan wonder what Scott and Stiles had done or said to scare him. Baby steps, he reminded himself. Isaac was supposedly completely friendless, so getting really personal would be overstepping it.

Even though he didn't want to make Isaac uncomfortable, he searched his mind for something else to say, but before he could it was Isaac who spoke, his voice quiet, "You don't really want to sit by me." Ethan blinked and opened his mouth to say something, but he was too flabbergasted to think of a response so Isaac kept going, "You and your brother are new here, if you want to make friends you should find another table. If no one's told you yet, I'm always alone here."

Ethan's first thought was that Isaac was just trying to get rid of him, but something about Isaac's posture and the way he spoke gave Ethan pause. Isaac's shoulders were hunched as he leaned over his notebook and he wasn't even looking at Ethan. There was also a tiny bit of nervousness in his voice, instead of anger or irritation or anything else that would signal that Ethan's presence was unwanted. It felt more like Isaac saw the way things were and was trying to help Ethan avoid getting stuck in a bad place. Like everything was set in stone and nothing would change that.

It was kind of depressing to Ethan, that Isaac had resigned himself to the fact that he was stuck without any friends, and he wished he could change that, "Who says I don't want to sit here? You seem nice enough to me."

This time Isaac was the flustered one, clearly unsure of how to respond, and in the end he didn't say anything. He just went back to his studying and even few minutes would glance over at Ethan, as if to make sure he was still there. Ethan just finished his lunch and settled back in his chair to study his chemistry notes, happy with the progress he'd made. It wasn't enough, he wanted to know more about Isaac, but he was content for now. He had to just take it one step at a time.


	2. Chapter 2

Ethan/Isaac

Author's Note: I apologize for the delay. My family's summer vacation is interfering with my writing. Anyway, Isaac's dad is still alive in this. Hope you enjoy.

* * *

The day after Ethan had talked to Isaac, Aiden had convinced Coach Finstock to let him and Ethan try out for the lacrosse team. He wasn't sure what had been said or if the coach liked the idea or not. He just knew he'd been given a chance and he didn't want to screw it up, so when the last class ended that day he hurried over to the locker room. It spoke to his level of anxiety and excitement that he'd forgotten about his desire to get to know Isaac. All thoughts of the curly-haired boy were absent from his head.

Until, that was, when he walked into the locker room and spotted Isaac changing into his lacrosse gear. He stopped in his tracks and gasped. He could see Isaac's bare back and arms and his right side was covered in bruises, some were a dark yellow while others were purple and fresh. There were even small scars on his back. Hearing his gasp, Isaac spun around to see Ethan standing there and there was fear in those blue eyes of his. It brought to Ethan's mind what Scott and Stiles had told him, how Isaac had looked ready to bolt when they tried talking to him.

Ethan hurried over to Isaac without really thinking and asked, "Isaac, what happened to you?"

Isaac's eyes were wide and he opened his mouth to speak but didn't seem to know what he wanted to say, his shoulders hunched and he backed up a step only to bump into his locker and that seemed to get his mouth working again, "Nothing happened, nothing at all. Can we just forget about this, please?"

To say that he was shocked by Isaac's reaction would have been a massive understatement. He would've expected some anger or frustration or embarrassment or maybe a little bit of nervousness and anxiety. Instead he saw fear and nothing else, as if whatever had been done to Isaac wasn't nearly as bad as what would happen if Ethan told people about what he saw in front of him. He knew his next words were important, so important, that they could open or close a very important door, namely that of Isaac's trust. He didn't know what Isaac had gone through or might still be going through, but he did know there was almost zero chance of him finding out what it was if Isaac didn't trust him.

So, even though he really wanted to say something else, such as urge the boy to get some kind of help, he quietly and solemnly said, "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. I won't even tell Aiden."

Isaac let out a long breath and closed his eyes as his head fell back to the locker behind him, clearly relieved, "Thank you. Thank you so much."

Ethan was a little befuddled by that reaction, but at the same time he knew that he barely knew Isaac and that Isaac had little reason to open up to him. Isaac, after a few seconds of leaning back against his locker, opened his eyes and quickly finished changing. Despite the bruises and scars, there was no denying that Isaac was a handsome young man, if a bit thin and scrawny. But at least now Ethan understood why Isaac rushed to change so quickly, it was to hide the bruises and scars. Whatever he was afraid of, at least part of it involved the secret getting out.

After he'd gotten completely ready for lacrosse practice, Isaac softly asked, "Why are you here right now?"

Ethan grinned, "Me and my brother are trying out for the team."

Isaac's brows went up, "Really?"

He nodded, his grin widening at the excitement in Isaac's voice, "Really."

Isaac was about to say something when the door opened and Aiden, Scott, and Stiles walked in, talking loudly. Aiden was bragging about how great an addition he would be, Stiles was arguing back, and Scott was trying to be the sensible one by pointing out that Aiden hadn't tried out yet. And Ethan did not care about it at all, except Isaac's mouth shut and he turned back to his locker to grab his stick.

But just as Isaac's was stepping past Ethan, he whispered in his ear, "Good luck."

And Ethan's grin was back in full force as he stared after Isaac. Even if didn't make the team, at least he was making progress with Isaac.

* * *

They both ended up making the team, much to Aiden's smug satisfaction and Ethan could see a rivalry beginning to form between his brother and Jackson. But the most surprising part of that practice was when Isaac came up to him to congratulate him. Ethan was grateful, for Isaac's sake, that very few people were paying attention at the time, except for Scott and Stiles who had been standing right in front of him. He almost laughed at their flabbergasted expressions.

Stiles was the first to recover, "Dude, what just happened? What did you say? What did you do?"

Scott put a hand on Stiles' shoulder to stop him from going any further, then looked at Ethan, the question clear in his eyes, to which Ethan shrugged, "I … don't know. Maybe he just wants a friend."

Neither of them were completely convinced by that, but Scott just nodded and optimistically said, "Well whatever you did, it looks like its working."

Ethan nodded and changed the subject, not wanting his friends to dwell on Isaac too much. Mostly because he didn't want to lie to them any more than he already was. He wanted to tell them about the bruises and scars, but he had promised Isaac he wouldn't and he couldn't help but worry about what might happen to Isaac if he told people. He wanted to help Isaac, but he wasn't sure if there was anything more that he could do that he wasn't already doing.

* * *

The next day at lunch Ethan sat down next to Isaac as if nothing had happened between the two of them because, call him crazy, he didn't think Isaac wanted to go anywhere near the subject of those bruises and scars that Ethan had seen. Isaac tensed a little, like he was afraid Ethan was going to bring it up, but not as bad as the first time Ethan had sat at his table and after a few minutes Isaac relaxed again. Like always, Isaac had a notebook and textbook in front of him, but Ethan was starting to get the feeling that Isaac wasn't studying all the time. He barely looked at the book in front of him, but Ethan wasn't about to try sneaking a look at what Isaac was doing.

As Ethan ate his lunch he knew Scott and Stiles were staring, maybe Allison too because Scott told her everything. No doubt they wanted to see if he keep getting closer to Isaac and break him out of whatever shell he was in. But that didn't really sit right with Ethan, he wasn't doing this for Scott or Stiles or anyone else. He just wanted to know why Isaac was always off by himself and maybe be a friend that he could talk to.

About halfway through their lunch period, he quietly said, "If you ever want to talk about … you know, I'm willing to listen. It doesn't matter what it is, you can come to me. But if you don't want to, I won't try to force you."

Isaac's eyes were on him in an instant and filled with anxiety and more than a little fear. Ethan matched Isaac's gaze with his own, hoping to be as reassuring as possible, and didn't say any more. He knew Isaac was hiding something and wanted it kept hidden, for whatever reason. So he'd let Isaac keep it hidden, even though he hadn't been able to stop thinking about those bruises and those little scars last night.

After a few seconds of staring, Ethan tried to speak as casually as he could, "Did you do the chemistry homework last night?"

Isaac blinked, clearly surprised by the sudden topic change, but he nodded, "Yeah. Why?"

"Could you take a look at mine? I'm not sure about those formulas yet."

Ethan pulled out his homework and Isaac just sort of stared at him with this confused look on his face, but then he shrugged and focused on Ethan's homework. Ethan wasn't sure how to interpret that look, but he was glad that Isaac wasn't pushing him away or trying to hide from him somehow. Isaac helped with his homework until the bell rang and then off they went to class and Ethan didn't have a chance to talk to Isaac for the rest of the day.

When he opened his locker after the last class ended, he stopped and frowned. Someone had slipped a piece of notebook paper into his locker. Unfolding it revealed a drawing, remarkably well done, of a wolf howling to the full moon, all drawn in black ink. He glanced around to see if anybody was watching, but could see no one paying an unusual amount of attention to him.

Looking back down at the drawing in his hands, he tried to see if it was signed. It wasn't. Then he checked his locker for anything else that hadn't been there before, but it seemed that the drawing was the only thing that had been slipped in. Unsure what to think about the drawing, except that he liked it, he folded it back up and tucked it into his pocket. He'd look at it again later and maybe divine some clues as to the identity of the artist then.


	3. Chapter 3

Ethan/Isaac

* * *

The next time Ethan saw Isaac was the next morning at school and what he saw had him concerned. Isaac had a very obvious black eye and Scott was standing in front of him trying to talk to him. But Isaac kept shaking his head and backing up, like he was trying to get away without running off and making a scene. Ethan hurried over and hoped he could calm Isaac down and find out what had happened to him. Not that he thought Scott had anything to do with it, Scott was way too nice to hurt someone unless it was self-defense.

Scott was speaking, "…. just trying to help. Something obviously happened to you-"

Isaac shook his head again and hunched his shoulders, "_Nothing_ happened, Scott. I just got hit during practice, its nothing to worry about."

Scott reached out, probably to put a hand on Isaac's shoulder, but he never got close because Isaac flinched and took another few steps back, only stopping when his back hit the wall and Scott gently said, "Isaac, I was at practice yesterday. Nothing happened to you that would cause a black eye."

Seeing that at this point Isaac was damn near cowering, from Scott of all people, Ethan decided he'd better step in, "Actually I saw it happen before you got out onto the field. I, uh, threw the ball a little too hard and it got past Isaac's net."

Isaac shot him a grateful look before facing Scott again, his voice a little more confident than before, "Yeah, see? Nothing serious. I have to get to class."

With that, he was hurrying off down the hall, having taken the first opening he'd seen. Ethan wanted to charge off after him, but now Scott was looking at him. No doubt he was wondering why Ethan had lied for Isaac.

Scott spoke before Ethan could get away too, "What was that about? Isaac's too good a player to get hit in the face and even if that _was_ true he wouldn't have freaked out like that."

Ethan let out a sigh and quietly said, "I don't know exactly what that was about, just that whatever it is … he doesn't want anybody to know. It scares him, other people knowing."

"Knowing what?"

He shrugged helplessly, "I wish I knew. I'm just hoping that I can make him trust me enough that he'll open up to me."

Scott sighed heavily and stared after where Isaac had gone, "I hope you're right. Ever since Erica and Boyd started dating, he hasn't had anyone to talk to."

Ethan knew he was staring, but he couldn't help it, "Wait, he had friends and they abandoned him?"

Scott started walking to class and Ethan followed him, the bell was about to ring, "Well … not actually friends, I guess. More like fellow social outcasts and they all sat at the same table at lunch. Then Erica got a new medication for her epilepsy and practically became a new person, started dating Boyd, and got into the popular crowd. They forgot about Isaac pretty quick after that."

He was fuming by the time Scott finished talking, but did his best not to do anything he'd regret. Silently he promised himself that he wouldn't abandon Isaac like Erica and Boyd had. But he tried to push those thoughts aside because now he had to focus on class, English specifically. As he and Scott walked into the classroom, he felt that would be a difficult endeavor.

* * *

When lunch rolled around, Ethan went straight to Isaac's table and sat down next to him. He had some extra food with him as well because he'd noticed that Isaac never really had much to eat. Isaac smiled gratefully as Ethan gave him what he wouldn't eat himself. He also knew that some of that gratitude was for what he'd said to Scott.

That smile faded away a few minutes later, causing Ethan to ask, "What's wrong?"

Isaac just looked past him and Ethan turned to see his brother getting into an argument with Jackson, the big shot on campus, while Lydia looked on, a bored expression in her eyes. He wasn't sure which of the two had started the argument, but he was sure that if it got physical Aiden would end it. Jackson looked more like a pretty boy than someone who actually knew how to fight, which Aiden and Ethan both knew how to do.

They were too far away to hear what was being said, but it didn't stop until Lydia finally piped up. Whatever she said brought them short and a few seconds later Jackson stormed off while Aiden watched him leave then turn to Lydia. She just shooed him off and he sighed before going back to Scott's table. Ethan knew he would find out exactly what had happened later, so he turned back to Isaac.

Isaac seemed to have tensed up, but was relaxing a little as he asked, "You're not going to help your brother out?"

Ethan grinned and shook his head, "Only if Jackson tries throwing a punch. Me and Aiden agreed to stay out of each other's love life unless there was violence."

Isaac seemed genuinely curious and that made Ethan happy even if he couldn't quite say why, "Why is that?"

"Well, Aiden is straight and I'm gay, so it just feels a little weird for me trying to offer him advice on girls or for him trying to help me out with guys."

He stopped there even though he really wanted to ask a few questions of Isaac now that they were on the topic of romance. But he didn't want to push Isaac for answers to things he might not be ready to talk about. Asking Isaac if he was gay or straight … that was too personal for now, even though he'd just disclosed his own sexuality. Plus it would really be putting Isaac on the spot and he didn't want to pressure Isaac on … well, anything really. For now he just wanted to show Isaac that he had a friend he could count on.

So he switched topics, focusing on what had happened in English because he'd been too distracted to really pay attention and they had the same English class even if it was at different periods. They passed the rest of lunch that way, talking about classes and other little things that didn't _really_ matter. Maybe he was getting interested in Isaac, like Aiden had said, especially since Isaac seemed perfectly at ease knowing he was gay. But he wasn't about to push all the heavy stuff on Isaac, they needed to get to know each other first.

The rest of the day couldn't really compare to the morning and lunch and Ethan was starting to hate the fact that he only had a few classes with Isaac. Although he honestly wasn't sure if that would help or hinder his ability to concentrate in class. Either way, he knew he'd probably be better off setting up study sessions with somebody if Isaac was going to keep distracting him so much.

As he stopped at his locker to drop off his books before lacrosse practice, he saw another piece of folded notebook paper. Frowning, he unfolded it to reveal another drawing of a wolf, all done in black ink. He glanced around, feeling a sense of deja vu, and once again saw no one watching. That is, until Scott and Stiles saw him and headed over.

Stiles, seeing the paper, asked, "What's that?"

He just handed it over and watched their eyes widen a little in surprise as Scott said, "You never told us you could draw."

"I can't. Someone put it in my locker."

Stiles jumped right on the obvious implication, "A secret admirer? Dude, that's awesome!"

Ethan frowned, not sure how to feel about that because he didn't want anything to interfere with his friendship with Isaac and Isaac seemed skittish enough with just him, but he tried to focus on the matter at hand, "Do either of you know anyone who can draw?"

Scott shrugged and looked at Stiles, who also shrugged, then Scott said, "I guess not. But we've got practice, so we'll have to figure it out later."

He nodded and folded the drawing up, sticking it into his pocket for later. Now he had two wolf drawings, but he didn't know who had drawn them.

* * *

"So we've eliminated Scott, Stiles, Allison, Lydia, Jackson, Erica, and Boyd as your possible secret admirer and mystery artist."

Ethan leaned back in his desk chair, "Don't forget Isaac."

Aiden frowned and sat up on the bed, "You sure about him? I mean, you know him better than I do, but do you really know anything about him? You said you're not really asking about his life."

The two of them were in Ethan's room, Aiden having strolled in to discuss Ethan's possible secret admirer. He wasn't sure what to think about the wolf drawings, wasn't even sure if that meant a secret admirer. He was sure, however, that when Aiden was determined to focus on something it was nearly impossible to deter him.

Ethan shook his head, "I don't think know much, really, but I've seen how he is and … he's really skittish, like he's afraid all the time. He wouldn't do this."

Aiden shrugged, "Maybe he's too afraid to be open about it and face possible rejection. You just said that he's skittish."

That kind of made sense, but he had no idea if Isaac could draw or if he liked boys. Isaac hadn't said anything about that when Ethan had revealed his own sexuality. He didn't think he was particularly intimidating or anything, but maybe Isaac was living up to reputation of being very shy. It was something he was going to have to think about, but he didn't want to share that with Aiden.

So all he said in response was, "I thought we agreed to stay out of each other's love lives."

Aiden just grinned unapologetically, "Sorry, I'm just curious to see if your interest in Isaac actually goes somewhere. Whoever it is that's giving you those drawings, good luck."

With that Aiden got off the bed and headed back to his own room, leaving Ethan to study the drawings he'd been given and wonder who it might be.


	4. Chapter 4

Ethan/Isaac

Author's Note: So, in case anybody's wondering, I have nothing against Erica and Boyd but I don't really care much for them either. I don't like Jackson at all.

* * *

The next few days passed relatively quietly. Ethan kept sitting with Isaac at lunch and they'd talk about homework, classes, lacrosse, little things. The kind of stuff that Ethan knew Isaac was comfortable with. Aiden's words kept bothering him, though. He barely knew Isaac or what his life was like. It made him want to ask Isaac for more, but he didn't want to scare Isaac off. Plus, from what he'd seen he knew Isaac was a nice guy. He just needed to get Isaac out of that shell of his.

He also got a couple more wolf drawings in his locker, continuing the mystery. Allison suggested maybe it was Lydia since she could be seen drawing in her notebooks just about every day, but that idea was quickly shot down. She was very clearly enjoying the fact that Jackson and Aiden were competing for her affections. And as smart as Lydia was, none of them could really believe that she'd keep sliding her artwork in Ethan's locker instead of Aiden's.

So Ethan tried to ignore that for a while and focus on his classes and lacrosse, which was where things got a little more interesting. Coach had them running a practice game, Ethan and Aiden were midfielders and, naturally, on the same team when Ethan was knocked off his feet. The suddenness of it, along with how totally unexpected it was, had him on his back with the wind knocked out of him. He looked up to see Jackson standing over him, a smirk on his lips, and realized instantly that the self-centered co-captain had mistaken him for Aiden.

But before either of them could say anything or Jackson could head off to once again focus on the game, Jackson was flat on his back as well. Unlike with Ethan, however, Jackson was groaning and sounded like he was in pain. For Ethan there was very little pain beyond the initial shock of getting knocked down. He figured that Aiden had seen him get knocked down and had decided to do the same to Jackson.

Until he heard Coach blow his whistle and shout, "Lahey!"

Ethan glanced over and saw it was indeed Isaac who had taken Jackson down and the tall boy just shrugged unrepentantly, "Sorry, Coach. Thought he had the ball."

That seemed to satisfy Coach Finstock, who proceeded to turn his anger on Greenberg yet again, while Isaac helped Ethan to his feet. Despite the casual answer given to the coach, Ethan could see a slight blush on Isaac's face. But Isaac didn't give him a chance to talk, instead getting right back into practice. Jackson was glaring daggers at both of them, very clearly unhappy.

As practice continued Ethan could see Jackson continuing to glare at him. By the anger and frustration in his eyes, Ethan guessed the co-captain would've liked another chance at him but wasn't willing to do it if Isaac was going to barrel him over. Which seemed very likely to happen because every time he looked, he saw Isaac keeping a close eye on both of them. Based on how Jackson had groaned after being hit, he either wasn't used to being hit or Isaac was a lot stronger than he looked.

Whichever was the case, Jackson left him alone for the rest of practice. He would've liked to be able to stop and think about what Isaac had done for him, since he was well aware that Isaac lacked friends and what Isaac had done was probably something he'd never done for anyone else, but the demands of practice kept him too active to think about it. He decided to try talking to Isaac as soon as practice ended, but once it did Isaac was characteristically hurrying off to the locker room.

Ethan tried to hurry after him, but was stopped when Jackson grabbed his arm and hissed, "Stay away from Lydia."

The guy was definitely pissed and Ethan was pretty sure Jackson had purposefully waited until _Isaac_ wasn't looking before confronting him, which was kind of funny. The guy who was so skittish that he got nervous every time someone talked to him was, after one blow, intimidating the most popular guy in the school. He would've laughed except he was pretty sure Jackson might actually try to hurt him if he did and he wasn't eager for a fight with this guy. Aiden could handle him.

Speaking of, Ethan shrugged off Jackson's hand, "Wrong twin. Talk to him."

He pointed behind Jackson, who turned and flinched as he realized that Aiden was standing right behind him, while Aiden casually said, "If you're interested in my brother, being a little nicer might be a good idea. Getting physical comes later. He likes to top by the way."

Jackson's face went red and he stormed off, visibly shaking. Ethan wasn't sure if it was from fear, anger, indignation, embarrassment, or some combination of it all. Regardless, Ethan was grinning broadly and struggling very hard not to laugh because the big shot of Beacon Hills High was definitely having a bad day. Which made him wonder how long Jackson would remain top dog, but that was Aiden's mess to deal with.

Aiden was grinning just as much as Ethan, "Never thought he'd get us mixed up. Sorry about that."

Ethan shook his head, "Don't worry about it. I think he got more than he bargained for, especially when Isaac got into it."

Aiden nodded as they headed toward the locker room, "I still think he's the one giving you those wolf drawings. You've clearly made a connection. It was obvious that the ball was nowhere near either of you two when Isaac hit Jackson."

He didn't say anything in response, instead staying silent to mull everything over. It had felt good, nice, when he'd realized Isaac had been the one to knock Jackson flat on his ass. Mainly because Isaac had done that for him, which he didn't needed Aiden to point out for him. A part of him hoped that Isaac was interested in Ethan in a more-than-friends kind of way, but the logical and rational part of him swatted that thought down. He was just going for friendship, at least until he was sure Isaac was open to more than that.

By the time he and his brother reached the locker room Isaac was nowhere to be found, as everyone took as the norm. Isaac was really good at changing quickly and getting the hell out of there. But Ethan was sure he'd see Isaac again the next day at lunch. As things were, Ethan had agreed to spend some time with Scott and Stiles that night, thanks to Stiles' desire to get his best friend to spend some time with someone who wasn't Allison. Because honestly those two could be a little bit much at times.

* * *

As he'd expected, Ethan sat next to Isaac again at lunch as he had for the past week, but was surprised when Isaac softly asked, "Jackson didn't hurt you, did he?"

He shook his head quickly, surprised by the concern in Isaac's voice, "Not at all. Honestly I think you hit him a lot harder than he hit me. Thanks for that, by the way."

Isaac nodded, blushing slightly and looking away as if he wasn't sure how to react to someone thanking him, "So, uh, what got him all worked up?"

He passed over a few things from his tray, Isaac had never asked for anything and Ethan had never asked why Isaac barely had anything for lunch but they'd settled into an unspoken routine where Ethan got a few extra things for Isaac to eat every day, as he easily said, "My brother is trying to hook up with Lydia and Jackson's trying to keep him away, but since we're identical twins Jackson thought I was Aiden."

Isaac snorted and shook his head, a grin tugging at his lips, but didn't say anything as he turned back to the notebook in front of him that seemed to be his constant companion during the school day. Which was fine, Ethan had realized pretty quickly that Isaac wasn't a big talker. Who would be if they were the social outcast? So he let Isaac focus on the food in front of him. He didn't like to think that he was handling Isaac, more like giving him the space he needed. Other people would probably just say he was handling Isaac, though. He knew Aiden did.

After about half the lunch period had gone by, Ethan asked, "Could you help me study for the chemistry exam that's coming up? You seem to have a better grasp of it than I do."

Isaac looked up and cautiously asked a question of his own, "When did you want to do it?"

He could immediately tell that was a loaded question, but he had no idea why, "I was thinking either Saturday or Sunday night. I could drop by your house-"

"No!" Ethan was shocked by how much fear was suddenly in Isaac's eyes, but the taller boy did his best to act calmly, "My dad, he, uh, he doesn't like having company over."

Ethan quickly filed Isaac's house into the growing file of things to not discuss and tried something else, "Okay, how about we just meet up after practice and head over to my place? We could do some studying and your dad won't be upset about having me in his house."

Isaac was calmer as he shook his head, the fear having dissipated quickly once Ethan had moved on from the idea of visiting Isaac's house, "Sorry, I have to work right after practice and then head straight home."

He didn't think Isaac was trying to avoid him, but he hadn't had a clue that Isaac had a job. He would be a liar if he said he wasn't disappointed. He did his best not to show that disappointment, however, since he didn't want to make Isaac feel guilty or anything. But he had to remind himself that no one else at school was even this close to Isaac, so he'd made a lot of progress and shouldn't try to push things too far too fast.

He was pretty sure Isaac could see it anyway, since the taller boy changed the subject to the lacrosse game that was coming up next week. Ethan did his best to put his negative feelings aside and contribute to the conversation because Isaac starting one was a rare occurrence. Plus he was trying to avoid making a big deal out of the things that were a big deal for Isaac, such as the bruises and scars and now his unwillingness to have friends over at his house.

The rest of the day would've passed pretty quickly, except about an hour after lunch Ethan realized he hadn't asked Isaac where he worked. He didn't think Isaac had lied to him, he was simply curious. Wouldn't a guy make a friend or two or at least an acquaintance if he worked regularly? Then the day started to drag along slowly because Ethan wanted to find out what that job of Isaac's was.

He was mentally debating whether he would try rushing to the locker room to get a chance to speak to Isaac before practice starts, but stopped when he saw another folded piece of notebook paper that had been shoved into his locker. Unfolding it, he saw that this one was a little different from the others. Instead of just one wolf there were two standing side by side and they took up almost the entire paper.

Instinctively he turned and looked around for anyone that might have left the drawing, but it was a futile effort and he knew that. Whoever put the drawings in his locker was always long gone by the Ethan discovered them. Folding it back up with a sigh, he would really like to know who was doing these drawings, he put it in his pocket and headed for the locker room. He knew that the time he'd spent looking at this new gift meant that Isaac would be out on the field and ready to go, so a quick and private conversation today was now out of the question.


	5. Chapter 5

Ethan/Isaac

Author's Note: A few things. First, the previous chapters all took place over the course of a week and this one is at the beginning of a new week, just in case there was any confusion. Second, Scott does not have asthma in this and he and Jackson are currently co-captains on the lacrosse team. Third, I've been trying for more of an ensemble feel rather than just focusing on the pairing of Ethan and Isaac, hopefully its working. Also, hopefully Lydia isn't OOC and if she is I apologize but I really wanted to work her into this. Hope you enjoy.

* * *

The weekend passed slowly, homework and studying and time away from Isaac made the time drag by. It was only alleviated when he spent some time with Scott and Stiles. This time it was Scott trying to keep Stiles from the object of his romantic interest. Scott didn't trust Derek, mainly because Derek was so much older than Stiles and for some reason was interested in a sixteen year old high school student. Due to his ADHD, Ethan wasn't sure if Stiles was aware of what Scott was doing, his mind was just speeding along from one thing to another to settle down. His suspicions seemed to be confirmed as Stiles complained several times about how Scott had never seen Star Wars and yet never thought to find a way to watch it.

Aiden didn't come, Ethan was sure his brother was off trying to win over Lydia. Normally he would think of it as Aiden's typical seduction, except Lydia was a little different. Far too smart and self-confident to be won over by the usual moves. For now, Ethan knew Aiden was intrigued at seeing a beautiful girl he couldn't easily win over. He wasn't sure if it would become more than that. He was sure, however, that Aiden enjoyed competing with Jackson.

When Monday came around, Ethan was eager to see Isaac again. But he was surprised when he saw Isaac standing outside the school, staring at something like he was worried something was going to happen. Turning, Ethan saw Stiles talking very animatedly to a guy with black hair and thick stubble. Judging by how excited Stiles was, Ethan guessed that was Derek. But while part of him wanted to finally see what Derek was like, he was much more interested in finding out what it was about Derek that was making Isaac nervous.

So he headed over to where Isaac was standing, pushing through the crowd of students unhappily heading back into school on a Monday morning, and quietly asked, "Hey, something wrong?"

He took it as a good sign that Isaac neither flinched nor started, instead he glanced at Ethan before looking back toward Derek and Stiles, "I've seen that guy before."

That was a surprise, but then Isaac was full of surprises and Ethan figured it would be better if he acted as if he wasn't surprised. He had the feeling that making a big deal out of every little thing would cause Isaac to tense up and he didn't want to have Isaac retreating back into his shell. Because Ethan had read enough books and watched enough TV to know that Isaac might misinterpret Ethan's reaction as something it wasn't.

"Where have you seen him? Around town or something?"

Isaac tugged at his sleeves, keeping them almost up to his knuckles, "No, uh, he came up to my front door a few weeks back. Talked to my dad. He had this look in his eyes. It was almost as if he …"

Ethan frowned as Isaac trailed off, staring at Derek who seemed far too engrossed in whatever Stiles was saying to notice, and decided to press a little, "As if he what?"

Isaac blinked and glanced at Ethan before looking back at Derek, "Sorry. It was like … like he was dangerous, like if things got violent he'd know exactly what to do."

While Ethan thought Isaac was telling the truth, he also thought Isaac had been about to say something else. Like he'd realized what he was saying and quickly thought of something else. But Ethan didn't want to push his luck too far. He'd probably only got as much as he had from Isaac because Isaac was used to having him around by now and because Ethan had promised to keep Isaac's secrets secret, even if he wasn't exactly sure what they were.

"I think his name is Derek and Stiles may have a crush on him."

Isaac's jaw dropped, but he quickly snapped it shut again and all he said was, "Okay. Then they both have a weird taste in guys."

Ethan chuckled because Isaac was clearly having trouble processing that and simply said, "If Derek feels the same way, I just hope they're happy together."

Isaac shrugged, "I guess you're right. I'll see you later, I need to get to class."

Ethan nodded and watched as Isaac headed into the school. He glanced back at Stiles and Derek, but Scott was there so he figured Stiles would make it to class on time, one way or another. So he headed into school himself, wondering why Derek would've stopped by Isaac's house. It was honestly kind of frustrating talking to Isaac, the taller boy would give him just enough to know he didn't have the full picture and want to find out what the full picture actually looked like.

His thoughts were interrupted when none other than Lydia Martin came up to him and slipped her arm through his as if she did it everyday, walking along casually, causing Ethan to ask, "You do know I'm not Aiden, right?"

Lydia just looked at him like she couldn't believe he had just asked that and was disappointed in him, "Of course I do. My gaydar is probably better than yours."

While that answered one question, it didn't alleviate his confusion, "Okay. Why the sudden interest in me?"

She shrugged, "I just want to get to know you better. Your brother isn't very subtle, so I want as much information as I can get."

That made sense, "To help you choose. Jackson or Aiden."

Lydia nodded, "That's right. If I get to know you I won't have to interrogate Aiden or put up with him for longer than I'd like to figure it out. I was thinking we could talk at lunch. See you then."

Then she walked into a classroom before he had a chance to respond and Ethan let out a sigh. He really didn't want to be dragged into the middle of this love triangle between Lydian, Jackson, and Aiden. Especially with Lydia deciding to just show up at Isaac's lunch table. He hoped it wouldn't bother Isaac too much.

* * *

Despite having a class with Isaac before lunch came around, Ethan didn't have a chance to warn him that Lydia would be joining them. Because if Lydia was determined to talk to Ethan at lunch, she would have to come to him. Plus he knew a lot of people would stare when the most popular girl in the school suddenly sat down at the same table as one of the new kids and the guy whose reputation was centered on how little he talked and how few friends he had.

And just as he'd expected, when Lydia came strolling across the lunch room toward their table, everyone stared. But she either didn't notice or, more likely, didn't care. Ethan had already sat down next to Isaac and given the taller boy his share of the food. As Lydia approached, Ethan kept an eye on Isaac to try to gauge his reaction. Isaac looked just as surprised as everyone else, but he didn't seem quite as nervous as when Ethan had sat down next to him the first time, which he took as a good sign.

When Lydia plunked herself down across from the two of them, she nonchalantly said, "You'd think hell had frozen over the way people are staring."

Isaac didn't say anything, instead he tugged his sleeves further up over his hands and watched her as if he expected her to do something, so Ethan responded as casually as he could, "I bet they expected that to happen a lot sooner than you coming to sit here."

Lydia scoffed, "Please, I can sit wherever I want. Besides, getting away from Jackson for a little while is a blessing sometimes. There's only so much testosterone fueled bickering that I can take. It can be fun, but not if its constant."

Ethan grinned and shook his head while Isaac focused on the food in front of him and just sort of looked like he wasn't sure how to respond, "So to get away from guys, you sit down at a table with two guys."

"I'm getting away from two guys that are both interested in me to sit down at a table where neither of the guys are interested. Not to mention that this is also reconnaissance. You're going to help me get a better picture of the type of guy Aiden is."

Ethan rolled his eyes at that, but didn't bother arguing. She was obviously determined and he didn't want to get into a big argument to deter her. Plus, even though most of the people in the cafeteria had gone back to their own conversations, Ethan could see a few specific people still staring. Jackson and Danny kept glancing over, no doubt trying to figure out what Lydia was up to, and Scott, Stiles, Allison, and Aiden just didn't stop staring from their table. Ethan knew his brother would be quizzing him later.

But Aiden would be in line behind Lydia because she kept asking questions like she'd written up a list. Throughout the period, Ethan kept glancing at Isaac to see how he was reacting to all this. Once it had become clear that he wasn't the focus of Lydia's attention, Isaac had pulled out a textbook, a notebook, and a pen. Ethan wasn't sure what he was studying for now, but Isaac always seemed to be studying during lunch. The only sign that Isaac was paying attention was that his eyes would occasionally move from his notes to Lydia and Ethan then back to his notes. But he wasn't participating at all, it was an A-B sort of thing and Isaac showed no sign of involving himself.

Ethan wasn't sure how to feel about that. Part of him was glad to see that Isaac wasn't reacting the same way he had when Ethan had sat down, but another part of him wished Isaac would get involved in this conversation (or interrogation) that he was having with Lydia. He had to remind himself to take small steps. Little things over time would add up to more than a few big things all at once. He couldn't help but feel a little frustrated though and wasn't sure if he was just being impatient or if he was annoyed at Lydia for possibly slowing down his progress with Isaac.

But when Lydia tugged on his arm just as the bell rang, he knew he was annoyed with her as he watched Isaac hurry off to his next class, and let out a sigh as he asked, "What is it now?"

She just grinned a little and said, "Just in case you're not sure, he is interested."

He was pretty sure he knew who she was referring to, but he asked anyway, "Who is?"

She didn't level that are-you-an-idiot look this time, thankfully, and didn't seem at all bothered by the question, "Isaac. He's interested in you. I can understand if you haven't really noticed, but like I said I've got good gaydar."

Ethan let her lead the way toward his next class since they both had the same one as he cautiously asked, "Are you sure about that? What if he's just happy to have a friend for once?"

She shook her head at the second question, "I don't think so. I've seen the way he looks at you, the way he acts around you. No one's gotten that kind of reaction from him, not even Scott and Scott's probably the most caring person you'll meet here."

He nodded because he'd realized that about Scott pretty quickly, but he felt the need to say, "I'm not trying to woo him or anything, I just thought he could use a friend."

Lydia looked away and let out a sigh, "Well you're right about that. Whatever happens between you two, I hope it works out."

Ethan nodded again but didn't say anything as he made his way to his seat. Lydia had dropped a bit of a bombshell on him when she said that Isaac liked him. He hadn't thought that would happen, at least not so quickly. If she was right. As the teacher walked into the classroom, Ethan decided he'd try to ignore that little piece of information for now. He didn't want to push Isaac or get ahead of himself and ruin what he'd already managed to accomplish.


	6. Chapter 6

Ethan/Isaac

Hope you enjoy.

* * *

After that lunch interrogation the day before, Ethan had expected Lydia to go back to her usual table, but just as he got food and headed for his table he saw her sitting down in the same spot as before. Isaac was there as well, focusing on the notebook in front of him and basically ignoring Lydia. She didn't seem bothered by that at all.

This time, when Ethan gave Isaac his usual portion, Lydia watched them like a hawk and Ethan wasn't sure what to make of the expression on her face. But she didn't say anything and Ethan was grateful for that for Isaac's sake. He was a little confused as to why Isaac was so blatantly ignoring Lydia. It was almost like he was just waiting for her to get up and leave.

Once he'd given Isaac his food, Ethan had to ask, "So what brings you back to our table? Looking for more information on my brother?"

Lydia smiled briefly, "Not this time. Its actually kind of nice sitting here with people who aren't falling over themselves to impress me. And its quiet. Like I said, getting away from Jackson can be a blessing."

Ethan grinned, "It might not be that way for long. Keep showing up here and Aiden will too. I wouldn't be surprised if Jackson would as well. I'm sure you know how guys can get."

She shrugged, "Actually, no one dared to compete with Jackson once he and I started dating. Until Aiden came along. Makes things a little more … interesting."

"Interesting in a good way or a bad way?"

Lydia thought for a minute before answering, "I'm not sure yet. But a change of pace sure can be entertaining. Don't you think so, Isaac?"

Isaac looked up, clearly surprised at being asked a question by Lydia, but he looked back down at his notebook and responded quickly enough so he'd been paying attention, "It depends on the change."

Ethan frowned at Isaac's reaction, it was like he didn't really want to be included in this conversation, and those few words he had spoken had been loaded. There was a lot more to that answer than just what Isaac had said and it had Ethan curious. But when he saw that Lydia just nodded sadly, he realized now wasn't the best time to press the issue. Isaac had some big secrets and Ethan knew he wouldn't find out what those were with Lydia sitting there.

If he hadn't been sure that the subject of change was being dropped, Lydia's next question made that abundantly clear, "So, excited for the game this week?"

She was looking at Isaac as she asked that question and Ethan wasn't sure if Isaac could even see her with his head facing his notebook or if he just sensed that she wanted an answer from him, either way he looked up at her quizzically, "I didn't know you liked lacrosse."

She shrugged and easily said, "Usually I'm not all that interested, especially when we always play the same team for the first game of the season and we always win. But it will be interesting to see if Aiden and Jackson act like children trying to impress me."

Ethan grinned and shook his head, amazed at how frank she was but also at the idea of a lacrosse-themed pissing match between his brother and Jackson. It was kind of difficult for him to see because Aiden wasn't all that childish, even if a girl was involved. Self-centered maybe, but rarely childish. Still, he wouldn't rule it out, Aiden could get really competitive.

Isaac just snorted with a slight grin, almost like he thought he should've known Lydia would answer that way, but didn't say anything as he went back to his notebook. Ethan wasn't too surprised by that, he and Isaac had established a pattern of talking for a little while then falling silent for a few minutes before a new conversation started up. But he was surprised when Lydia just let the conversation end. He'd thought she would be a bit more talkative after that interrogation yesterday, as well as the fact that she was the most popular girl in the school. Whatever her motivation was for not talking, Ethan wasn't about to struggle to keep the conversation going.

When lunch ended and Isaac went off to class, Ethan walked with Lydia. He was kind of glad when the period ended because he and Lydia could get lost in the crowd of students shuffling to class. He'd felt Scott, Stiles, Allison, and Aiden staring the entire time.

As they walked, Lydia pulled Ethan from his thoughts when she said, "What do you know about Isaac's family?"

That really got his attention, shocked him so much that he would've stopped dead in his tracks if Lydia hadn't slipped her arm through his and just kept tugging him along for a step or two before he remembered how to walk, "Nothing. He doesn't talk about his family. I suggested once that I come over to his house to study for the chemistry test tomorrow … it was like he was scared. Like something bad would happen if I showed up there. After that I just decided not to bring it up again."

She nodded to herself and Ethan had the feeling that she knew something he didn't, "Interesting. I can't say I know what his life is like at home except that the only family he has left is his dad. His mom's been dead for … I'm not sure how long, just long enough that he probably doesn't remember her much. He had an older brother, too, Camden was his name. Camden joined the military and died a few years back. Ever since its just been Isaac and his dad."

Ethan didn't respond right away because that was a lot to take in and that was a lot for a kid to deal with, losing his mother and brother before even getting to high school. He guessed that might help explain why Isaac was so withdrawn, but it didn't feel like the whole story. It might make Isaac shy and withdrawn, dealing with tragedy like that, but what would cause that fear that he'd seen in Isaac's eyes?

But he had to ask, "Why are you telling me this? You barely know me."

Lydia smiled and it had a touch of her usual I'm-smarter-than-you expression that she sported whenever she had to talk to someone she didn't want to, but there wasn't any malice or negativity to it, "I may not have known you very long, but I can see the way Isaac is around you. And I could tell that you wanted to know. The more you know, the less likely you are to say something stupid to Isaac."

Ethan nodded, that made sense and he was grateful for what Lydia had told him, "Thanks. Hopefully it'll help."

"It should, you aren't Stiles after all. He needs to learn how to keep his mouth shut."

He grinned, having experienced Stiles ranting more than once. It could get pretty ridiculous sometimes. One rather memorable rant had started on the subject of never getting to play during lacrosse games and had somehow meandered to Scott and Allison's relationship, how good and bad his chances were with Derek, why Andrew Garfield was a better Spiderman than Tobey Maguire, and ended on Stiles' never ending mission to make his father eat healthier. That rant had only come to an end when the pizzas had arrived and Stiles had to stop talking long enough to eat. Ethan still wasn't sure how Stiles had made the connections in his mind from one subject to another, but he'd given up on figuring that out.

Their seats were on opposite sides of the classroom, so Ethan didn't have a chance to respond once they got to class. But he knew he needed time to think on what Lydia had told him. He also needed to think on whether to tell Isaac or not. That thinking would have to be done after class though.

* * *

After the last bell rang at the end of the school day, Ethan wasn't at all surprised when Scott and Stiles came up next to him and Stiles didn't waste any time getting to the point, "Dude, what did you do to get Lydia to come back to your table? I would've killed to get her attention like that last year."

Instead of answering the question, Ethan, familiar with the years-long interest Stiles has had in Lydia, just had to ask, "Last year? What about this year?"

Stiles ducks his head and looks away, "Well, I have this thing going on with Derek and … hey, don't change the subject. We were talking about Lydia being weird and sitting at your table."

Ethan just grinned and could see that Scott shared his amusement, but neither of them pressed on the thing with Derek, instead Ethan shrugged and said, "Lydia said she wanted to learn more about Aiden by talking to me and she also mentioned that it was nice getting away from Jackson for a little while."

He didn't feel at all guilty mentioning that because he knew he'd be telling Aiden the same thing whenever they talked again, which would probably be when they got home. Although he wasn't sure if he would have to worry about Jackson again during practice. He didn't think so, but then again a worried and jealous guy trying to keep his girlfriend to himself might not think all that rationally. Either way, he was sure Jackson would get worse than he gave if the last time was anything to go on.

While Stiles processed what Ethan had just said, Scott simply nodded and asked, "How's Isaac taking the newest addition to his lunch table?"

He shrugged as they reached Scott's locker, "I'm not sure. He doesn't really seem nervous or scared like he was that time you two tried talking to him, but he didn't look like he was all that interested in talking to her. What did you say, by the way, to scare Isaac off?"

Scott and Stiles looked at each other then back at Ethan as Stiles answered, "It wasn't like he were trying to scare him or anything. He just looked really out of it for a couple of days so we asked if everything was alright at home."

Scott nodded, "Yeah, we were worried his dad might've been sick or something, like on death's door sick, because he'd seemed fine up until then, but by that time it was just Isaac and his dad so if something happened to him …"

He didn't need to say the words, Ethan heard them just fine, "And that was when he got scared?"

Stiles sighed, sounding a little frustrated, "Yup. Didn't make sense at all. His eyes just went wide and he got away from us as fast as possible, like we were telling him about torturing puppies or something."

Clearly Scott and Stiles didn't understand what had caused that reaction from Isaac and Ethan wasn't entirely sure he understood it either, but he had an idea. Something about Isaac's home life scared him or other people knowing about it scared him. It seemed like Scott and Stiles had been asking about Isaac's home and his family situation and had unknowingly hit upon a very sensitive subject. The pieces were starting to come together, but he knew he wasn't seeing the whole picture. He was getting there, he just wasn't there yet.

Scott moved on from that topic rather quickly and Ethan didn't mind that at all, "At least you seem to be able to talk to Isaac."

Stiles spoke next, looking like he was blurting out a thought that had just occurred to him, "What do you guys talk about?"

Ethan shrugged as Scott shut his locker and they headed toward his own locker, "Not much, at least not much beyond the little things. Homework, classes, lacrosse, stuff like that."

They lapsed into silence for a minute and the halls became quieter as they got to Ethan's locker, everyone who could was clearing out as quickly as possible, and Ethan had just shut his locker as Scott asked, "Do you think Isaac would mind if we joined you guys at lunch?"

He frowned at the question, not because it was a bad idea but because he honestly wasn't sure, "I'll have to ask Isaac, but if he does say yes it doesn't mean he'll be eager to talk to you. He's barely talked to Lydia, even when she specifically asked him a question."

Scott nodded as they started heading to the locker room for practice, "Thanks for the heads up."

Ethan nodded as well and hoped that Isaac wouldn't mind a couple additions to their table. It would be good for him to be around other people and make some friends because it was kind of sad to see him sitting by himself at lunch every day.


	7. Chapter 7

Ethan/Isaac

Author's Note: Sorry for the wait. I always feel bad when I take longer than I'd like to post another chapter. The plot bunnies can be fickle. But here it is. This chapter takes place on the same day as the previous chapter. Hope you enjoy.

* * *

Lacrosse practice was fine, Jackson didn't try anything because of his and Aiden's competing for Lydia. Which Ethan was grateful for since he really didn't want to get dragged into it. But as practice ended he remembered what Scott and Stiles had asked him earlier and was determined to talk to Isaac before lunch the next day. He was about to rush off toward Isaac to talk to him before the taller boy changed, but then he remembered why Isaac was always the first on and off the field.

So instead of ruining Isaac's routine, Ethan did his best to keep up with Isaac's near-frantic pace of getting back to the locker room and changing. Isaac was quicker than him, of course, and Ethan had to rush to catch up to him in the hallway. When he did he had the impression it was only because Isaac had slowed down considerably, whether he knew Ethan was trying to catch up to him or not was anyone's guess.

Isaac was the first to speak, "Hey, you want something?"

Ethan grinned, knowing by the look in Isaac's eyes that he was aware he'd been followed, and tried not to act guilty, "Yeah, actually. I wanted to ask you if you'd be okay with Scott and Stiles joining our table."

Isaac frowned at that and resumed walking, his hands in the pockets of his hoodie, but he asked a question instead of answering Ethan's question, "Why … why would they want to sit at our table?"

He kept the smile on his face despite the slight anxiety in Isaac's voice, wanting to be as reassuring and calming as he could, "They just want to get to know you a little, probably think you could use a friend. I think Lydia sitting at our table kind of opened the door."

Isaac nodded, but didn't say anything and didn't look at Ethan. He wasn't sure how to take that, except then Isaac sped up a little. Not enough to lose Ethan, but enough that he knew Isaac was uncomfortable. He hadn't quite expected that, but then again he was never completely sure what to expect with Isaac.

"Something wrong?"

When Isaac didn't answer, Ethan reached out and grabbed his shoulder, hoping to get an answer from him. But he didn't get an answer, at least not immediately, because Isaac flinched away and looked at him with wide eyes. Ethan could see the fear in Isaac's eyes and instantly backed off, holding his hands up to show he wasn't about to do anything.

He kept his voice level as he said, "I'm sorry, I'm just trying to figure out if anything is wrong. Is there something you don't like about Scott and Stiles?"

The fear slowly faded and Isaac let out a shaky breath before saying, "I'm sorry. I don't dislike them, its just … you don't pry."

Ethan nodded slowly, surprised that Isaac had noticed but now that he had he wasn't about to deny it, "But they do. They're probably just being nice or trying to be."

Isaac didn't immediately answer, instead he glanced about the hallway before saying, "I have to get to work … uh, if you don't have anything else to do you can come too if you want."

That was different and Ethan's mind went straight to the obvious question, "Won't that be a little weird?"

Isaac started walking again and Ethan followed him, "Well, uh, I work at the cemetery as a groundskeeper. Half the time I never actually see the guy in charge, so as long as I get the work done he doesn't care."

He nodded, "Alright, I'll see you there. But you will give me an answer, right?"

Isaac nodded too, although it was a little shaky, "Yeah."

Ethan didn't say anything else, just nodded again and headed off to get his motorcycle. He wasn't sure how Isaac got back and forth, but he was sure he had a way.

* * *

He ended up taking a few wrong turns before finally making it to the cemetery and was surprised to see Isaac arrive at the same time he did. But Isaac was riding a bike, so Ethan wasn't surprised at how it took him to get there. What surprised him was more the fact that Isaac rode a bike to work instead of driving a car. Ethan had figured that Isaac would have enough money for a car if he was working regularly.

Isaac didn't really say anything as they met up again. He just locked his bike up and led the way to a shed that was located in an inconspicuous corner of the cemetery. Ethan couldn't help but feel a little awkward, following a guy around as he went to work at a cemetery. He pushed that feeling aside as best he could and reminded himself that Isaac had basically invited him to come.

Once Isaac had grabbed what he needed from the shed, he turned to face Ethan and quietly said, "Its okay if they sit at our table. I'm just … a few weeks ago I sat alone and now people want to sit with me."

Ethan nodded, knowing who Isaac meant when he said they. He also was pretty sure he knew what Isaac meant even if he hadn't spelled it out. Isaac was feeling a little overwhelmed by all the sudden attention and Ethan was positive that Isaac was also stressing out about his secrets possibly being revealed. He didn't know what they were himself, just that there were things Isaac didn't want others to know. When Isaac was alone he didn't have to worry about people finding out.

So Ethan tried to assuage Isaac's fears, "Don't worry about it. Stiles talks so much that you probably wouldn't have a chance to get a word in edgewise even if you wanted to. Plus I think they understand that there are some things you really don't want to talk about, at least Scott does and between him and Lydia and me we can steer Stiles away from the more sensitive topics."

Isaac hunched his shoulders and looked away for a moment, as if he didn't want to be reminded of the fact that he had sensitive topics, then looked back at Ethan, "Thanks. I'm sorry if I'm, uh, making things difficult."

Ethan shook his head quickly, "Hey, its alright. Really. I've been to a lot of schools over the years and I know when people are worth the time and energy."

He swore he saw Isaac blushing as he turned away and grabbed a trash bag and a camera, "You think I'm worth the time and energy?"

Isaac began walking and once again Ethan followed, replying easily, "Of course you are."

He didn't say any more than that, even though he kind of wanted to. He wanted to explain why he thought that because Isaac didn't seem nearly so sure of his own worth as Ethan was. But he didn't want to give Isaac too much to think about. He knew Isaac wasn't used to really dealing with people much. Plus, he wanted to believe what Lydia had told him, but he wasn't about to act like she was right. That could easily cause him to do something stupid and unintentionally push Isaac away.

Isaac didn't say anything, so Ethan started talking about classes and homework. He knew it would help Isaac relax a little and he didn't need to stick to the bigger subjects since Isaac had already agreed to let Scott and Stiles join their table. He was probably going to send those two a couple texts to try to keep them off a few topics. Aiden would probably end up joining them as well, but Aiden was already doing his best to avoid upsetting Isaac in any way.

They talked for another half hour, during which they finally told each other their phone numbers and Isaac nervously asked Ethan not to text or call him after school unless he started it. Ethan desperately wanted to ask why Isaac had to text first, but from the look in Isaac's eyes he knew not to. There was something about his home life that was causing issues for Isaac, but it was clear to Ethan that Isaac didn't want to talk about it. So he agreed to wait for Isaac to text first.

But the sky was getting dark and it looked like it was going to rain so Ethan said his goodbyes before heading back to his motorcycle. He really didn't want to get caught in the rain if he could help it. Isaac, unfortunately, had to keep working and Ethan hoped it didn't rain until he was done.

As he was leaving, Ethan made a mental note to ask Stiles how he could get in touch with Derek. A picture was starting to form in his mind, but he couldn't see enough details to understand what he was looking at. Derek could, hopefully, help with that since Isaac had said the older man had stopped at his house once.

That desire to get a clear picture ran up against his promise to keep Isaac's secrets secret. Especially if he talked to Lydia, who he was sure could figure it out thanks to her IQ of 170. Which she liked to use to fend off guys from setting up study dates, like she had with Aiden. She always looked like she knew more than everyone else, but Ethan was not eager to have her put the pieces together for him and potentially let it slip to someone. He could figure it out on his own.


	8. Chapter 8

Ethan/Isaac

Hope you enjoy.

* * *

The first day Scott and Stiles and Aiden joined Ethan and Isaac and Lydia during lunch, Ethan had been afraid there might be fireworks of a very unpleasant sort. But nothing really happened. Stiles and Scott chatted just as enthusiastically as they always had and never really tried to include Isaac, which Ethan wasn't sure was intentional or not. He, Aiden, and Lydia were able to get a few words in here and there while Isaac kept focused on the notebook in front of him without even trying to involve himself. He did keep glancing up at the new arrivals, however, so he wasn't just ignoring everyone. Ethan could also tell that Isaac didn't look scared or nervous, which was a good sign. It probably helped that the only person actually sitting right next to Isaac at their circular lunch table was Ethan.

The entire table got a few stares, and Ethan was absolutely positive that Jackson's was one of them because his girlfriend was sitting at the same table as his biggest competition, because just a few weeks ago the table they were sitting at had consisted of just Isaac. Now there were half a dozen people and those half dozen people were a really strange mix. The two new guys, the most popular girl in school, the guy who was well known for not talking to anyone, and Scott and Stiles. But Ethan didn't care about what people might say as long as it didn't really bother Isaac. He'd developed a thick skin for gossip after about the fourth move his family had made in six years.

At one point during lunch Danny wandered over to ask Lydia why she was still sitting there and looked like he absolutely hated doing it. Preempting all their questions, Lydia calmly stated she'd stopped answering Jackson's texts and calls during lunch because she didn't need to be in constant communication with him when she saw him so much as it was. Before Danny left she made it clear that she was disappointed that Jackson had forced Danny to ask for him. Aiden just grinned the entire time while Ethan was grateful that he was not getting involved in that love triangle.

But after that the next few days were kind of uneventful. Isaac spoke maybe twice at lunch now that Scott and Stiles were there and Ethan kind of missed their little conversations. At least Isaac started texting him in those few days so it wasn't like they didn't talk at all. The texting didn't last long, however, because they moved on to instant messaging on their computers. Which didn't quite make sense to Ethan because Isaac was concerned about his dad's reaction to the phone bill, but Isaac had also said he'd bought his computer with his own money. So couldn't Isaac just pay his own phone bill, too?

Like with their lunch conversations, he and Isaac never really talked about anything serious that would really help him get a clearer picture of what's going on in Isaac's head and life. Except that sometimes Isaac would just cut out of the conversation for awhile then start it up again as if he hadn't been gone for a half hour or so. It was really weird and Ethan wanted to know what that was about, but Isaac didn't offer any explanations and Ethan didn't want to push for answers when it seemed like Isaac didn't want to talk about it.

It did, however, renew his desire to speak with Derek. Except whenever he tried asking Stiles for his number or email, Stiles didn't respond. Which would have pissed him off a little, except he wasn't quite sure what Stiles' relationship with Derek was like so giving away Derek's contact information might be something Derek didn't want Stiles to do. Or Stiles' ADHD might be causing him to forget because his mind had a few too many things to focus on, preventing him from focusing on what Ethan wanted him to focus on.

So he tried asking Scott if he could get in touch with Derek, but Scott just replied that Stiles wasn't even telling him. Something about Stiles being afraid Scott would try to check into Derek to make sure he wasn't a pedophile. Which Stiles was adamant Derek was not. But Scott did say to try looking for Derek at the weekend's lacrosse game because apparently Stiles was trying and failing to not tell anyone that Derek was coming to the game. Which was a nice gesture on Derek's part, especially since Stiles never actually got onto the field during a game.

So Ethan was excited for more than just the game when he arrived at the field Sunday night. The stands were already filled and it was surprising to see how much enthusiasm there was for lacrosse in Beacon Hills. He saw a lot of familiar faces in the crowd; Allison, Lydia, Melissa McCall. He even spotted Derek off in a corner by himself, looking much grumpier than everyone else. For Stiles' sake, Ethan hoped that was the man's default expression instead of Derek being unhappy about coming.

He headed over to where Isaac was standing, slightly apart from everyone else. Most of the players were talking to each other, but Isaac wasn't. Although he was close enough to easily hear what Scott and Stiles were talking about. Scott seemed happy that his mom had been able to show up while Stiles was alternatively bemoaning his dad's absence and explaining away his dad's absence since he never played anyway.

Seeing that Isaac was paying attention to the conversation, Ethan decided to say, "Does your dad ever come to games? I doubt my parents ever will. They're always working so long that as soon as they come home its more about them relaxing than working up the energy to go out to lacrosse games or whatever else."

He saw the way Isaac tensed up at the mention of his dad, but by the time Ethan had finished speaking Isaac had relaxed a little bit and replied quietly enough that no one else would hear his answer, "He never shows up. I'm glad he doesn't, I'd be too nervous to play if he did."

Ethan quickly filed that little piece of information away to think on later because he wasn't going to be able to hold a conversation if he was thinking of all the implications of Isaac's words, "Well we always win the first game of the season, right? Even if he was here, nothing to worry about."

Isaac nodded, his lips tugging upward at one corner, "Yeah, nothing to worry about."

Isaac paused and looked like he was about to say more, but Coach Finstock started blowing on his whistle so he didn't have a chance to say it. The game was about to begin, so there wasn't anymore time to talk. But Ethan had a smile on his face because somehow he'd gotten a response from Isaac after mentioning his dad that wasn't total fear and anxiety.

* * *

The game had been exciting and, as expected, an easy win. Scott, Jackson, and Aiden had scored goals for the team. Ethan hadn't, he wasn't desperate to make a name for himself or impress anyone. And he wasn't competing for anyone's affections like Jackson and Aiden were. There had been a few moments when those two had been so eager to outdo each other that they each failed to score and lost the ball to the other team. It could've been a bigger problem except that Isaac, Ethan, and Danny, the goalkeeper, were good enough to stop almost everything. Ethan wondered, though, if Coach Finstock noticed and if it would change anything. Or if he'd somehow blame it on Greenberg, which was more likely than Ethan would like to admit.

Once the game was over, he saw Isaac hurrying away to the locker room while many of the other players hung around on the field. Everyone in the stands were slowly making their way either onto the field or out to the parking lot to head home. Seeing Derek, scowling as much as at the beginning of the game, make his way down from the top row, Ethan decided to try talking to him now. He had no idea when he might get another chance and Stiles seemed sufficiently distracted that he wouldn't notice if Derek took a little longer to get to him.

Derek saw him coming and stopped, crossing his arms over his chest, and as he got closer Ethan had the sudden feeling that Isaac had been right when he said Derek felt a little dangerous, but he didn't let himself be deterred when Derek sighed and asked, "What do you want?"

That brought Ethan up a little short, "How did you know I wanted something? We've never actually met."

Derek looked away, like he really didn't want to be at a high school lacrosse game, "When have you known Stiles to not say anything? He's gotten even more talkative ever since you asked for my phone number and not in a good way."

Ethan shrugged, "Okay, so Stiles told you about me. I don't care about what's going on between the two of you, really, as long as no one gets hurt. But I didn't want to talk about that."

"Then why are you talking to me?"

Ethan took a deep breath and wiped some sweat off his brow, "Isaac said you stopped by his house once and I'm curious why you did that."

Derek seemed genuinely surprised by that question and Ethan was kind of glad the man wasn't scowling at him anymore, "Why would you care about that? I was only there for a few minutes."

He glanced around and was thankful that no one seemed to be paying any attention to them, "I care because Isaac is my friend and he never talks about what his life is like at home."

Derek stared at him for a while and it felt like he was being judged before Derek finally said, "I was just passing through the neighborhood when I heard shouting and then what sounded like something breaking. I knocked on the door, both Isaac and his dad answered. Isaac was scared, but they both said they were fine. His dad said the noises I'd heard were just the tv."

Ethan wasn't convinced of that and he could tell Derek wasn't either, "You think it was Isaac's dad."

"I know it was Isaac's dad. But even if I'm right about what's going on in that house, I can't do anything about it. That's up to Isaac. Now, if you'll excuse me."

He walked off before Ethan could answer, not that anything was particularly forthcoming in Ethan's mind at the moment. Derek hadn't said the word abuse, but that's what he thought was going on between Isaac and his dad. Ethan really hoped that wasn't true, didn't want to believe that Isaac's dad could be abusing him. But if Isaac's dad was abusive, it would help explain Isaac's behavior. The fear, the isolation, why he never talked about his home.

Part of him wanted to go find Isaac and ask him if it was true, if his father was abusing him. But the more rational part of him quickly nixed that idea. Isaac didn't need an interrogation, what he needed was a friend and steady support. And a way out of his own home, but Ethan wasn't sure if he could even do anything about that. So he knew he'd do his best to act like nothing had changed, that he was still the same guy that Isaac could come to if he ever felt the need, for whatever reason.

He was sure that suddenly making a big deal about parental abuse would drive Isaac away. Scott and Stiles probably didn't know, or suspect, as much as Ethan did and Isaac had been terrified when they'd come along in the hopes of helping him out. No, Ethan knew Isaac well enough to know pushing him about it wasn't going to work. It was still a matter of Isaac crossing that bridge and Ethan doubted that was about to happen.

His thoughts were interrupted when Aiden clapped him on the shoulder and told him to hurry and get changed so they could go home and sleep. They had school tomorrow. But as they went to the locker room the wheels in his head wouldn't stop spinning and he wondered if that was how Stiles felt most of the time. If Isaac was ever going to open up about the abuse, try to get away from his dad, it was a decision Isaac would have to make himself. That didn't mean Ethan couldn't try to make it a little easier for him if he actually took that step.

Discreetly, of course, he liked to think he was at least a little subtler than Scott and Stiles, who he could easily imagine blundering in to help and unintentionally making a bit of a mess while doing so. And as much as he hated the thought of letting Isaac suffer, if Ethan was right about what Derek had said, he had to keep reminding himself that it was Isaac's decision to make. Still, he could have a little surprise ready to help Isaac along if that decision was ever made. It certainly helped that he knew a few people around Beacon Hills, thanks to his parents' business connections.


	9. Chapter 9

Ethan/Isaac

Author's Note: So, now that I finally know Mystery Girl's name and how to spell it(Braeden), I can finally incorporate her into the story. Honestly that bugged me a little bit, how in the show you hear her name once and even then you're not quite sure what you heard. Anyway, hope you enjoy.

* * *

When Monday came around, Ethan was tired and a little irritable. He'd had trouble sleeping the night before because his mind just wouldn't rest. He kept wondering what kind of hell Isaac might be going through and he wished that he could do something to get Isaac out of that house, away from his dad. He had to keep reminding himself that Isaac had to say something first. He'd done his best to show Isaac that he had a friend that he could come to for anything, but it was difficult now for Ethan to actually wait for Isaac to come to him. If he ever would.

But last night he'd come to the decision that he'd be ready if Isaac ever did open up about the abuse, suspected abuse. That was another thing he had to keep reminding himself about, which was that he only had his and Derek's suspicions about what was going on in Isaac's house. Isaac hadn't actually confirmed it. Not that Ethan felt that was necessary, not after seeing the bruises and the black eye. Not after seeing how scared Isaac would get when someone even came close to helping him.

Still, he was determined to provide whatever help he could if Isaac asked for help. So when he had study hall, he left the classroom to go see someone. Thankfully, she wasn't busy. Being both the guidance counselor and the French teacher meant Ms. Morrell had a busy schedule, but the high school wasn't so big that she didn't have some time here and there to herself.

She was clearly surprised to see him walk into her office, "Ethan, I wasn't expecting you. You haven't gotten into trouble, have you?"

Ms. Morrell had been a family friend for as long as he could remember, but she had moved to Beacon Hills to be closer to her brother who was, as far as Ethan knew, the only family she had. She'd helped him and Aiden schedule their classes when they'd arrived and probably would've helped out their parents too, if they had asked. From what he could remember, Ms. Morrell could be a little prickly at times and maybe even a little bitter, but her heart was always in the right place.

He shrugged in response to her question, "Well, kind of. Nothing bad, personally, but there's a friend of mine who I'd like to help if I could."

She nodded and went to sit down behind her desk and Ethan took the chair in front of it as she said, "I don't have any appointments for another hour. So what it is that you need help with?"

Before he went into it, he just had to ask one question, "You won't tell anyone, will you? I promised him I wouldn't tell anyone."

"My lips are sealed. Whatever you tell me will not leave this room."

Ethan nodded, but he couldn't help it when he looked back at the closed door, as if someone might be watching. He felt a little paranoid that somehow someone would find out he was spilling this secret of Isaac's and then Isaac would find out. But he trusted Ms. Morrell, she had always been a good friend before she moved away and she didn't seem much different from the last time he saw her.

"Do you know Isaac Lahey at all?"

She frowned as she thought, then said, "I'd know him if I saw him, but I've never talked to him. Which means he doesn't take French, I remember all my students."

Ethan nodded, not having expected her to know Isaac since the guy tried to fly under the radar at all times, "Well … I'm starting to worry about him. I think … I think his dad might be abusing him."

Saying the words made them feel so much bigger than when they'd just been thoughts in his head and part of him wanted to take those words back, pretend he'd never said them. But while he was nervous about what might happen because he was talking to someone about it, he also knew that the thought of Isaac being abused was something that was going to bug him until he either did something about it or until it stopped. And the abuse stopping wasn't something that he saw happening anytime soon.

Ms. Morrell put her hands on the desk, lacing her fingers together, "I'm sure you understand that is a very serious thing to say. Has Isaac said anything to you about it?"

He shook his head, "No, he hasn't. I think he's just too scared to say anything."

"That and its possible he feels ashamed about it, if its true. I'm sure Isaac knows that a normal family isn't abusive. But what makes you think he's being abused by his dad? Have you seen any evidence of that?"

Her voice was calm and level, not in any way accusatory or dismissive, and he was grateful for that at least. So he told her about all the instances of his interaction with Isaac that he felt hinted at abuse as well as what Derek had told him. She would occasionally nod or ask a question here or there for clarification. When he finished, she leaned back in her chair and nodded to herself. Ethan realized right then that she hadn't taken any notes at all, in fact her hands hadn't moved from their position on the desk.

After a moment of silence, she leaned forward and asked, "And why have you come to me? Do you want guidance or are you looking for some other kind of help? Because if you want to try some kind of intervention, it won't do any good legally unless Isaac is willing to tell someone what's been happening to him. We can't do it for him."

Ethan nodded, "I know, really. I was just hoping that, somehow, I could make it easier for Isaac if he ever does say something. Like, help provide proof or something so it wouldn't just be Isaac's word against his dad's."

He could see that she knew exactly what he meant as she let out a sigh, "Your parents really shouldn't talk about other people's lives in front of you and your brother. You're lucky that Braeden isn't busy at the moment. If there's anything to be found, she'll find it. I'll let you know when, but it could take some time."

He nodded again and tried not to smile like an idiot now that she'd agreed to help him, "Thank you."

She smiled briefly, then said, "I hope you're wrong, but if you're right Braeden will find something. Now, shoo, I have appointments twenty minutes."

Ethan thanked her again and quickly left her office, glad to see that there weren't any students in the halls to stare at him as he left the office of the guidance counselor. He knew that sort of thing could easily carry some kind of stigma under the right, or wrong, circumstances. But that thought quickly left him as he made his way to the library, not wanting to walk back into his study hall for twenty minutes. The library felt like a better choice. Not that he expected to get anything done, not when he was suddenly facing the thought that Isaac might feel ashamed about being the victim of abuse. As if there wasn't enough for Isaac to deal with.

But he sat down at an empty table and took out one of textbooks so he could at least pretend to study. Hopefully now that he'd done something, set something in motion, he wouldn't be constantly thinking about and worrying over Isaac. That would probably be a losing battle though, he knew himself well enough to say that.

He'd only been there a minute or two when Lydia sat down across from him and she had a determined look in her eyes, "I was hoping to talk to you before lunch.

Ethan frowned, not liking the sound of that, "About what?"

"I saw you talking to Derek after the game. I'm guessing it had something to do with Isaac."

But she wasn't guessing, he could it in her eyes. She knew at least the gist of what he'd talked about with Derek and either she'd gotten over the shock pretty quickly or she'd known about it longer than him. Lydia was good at figuring things out, but she wasn't so good at hiding the fact that she knew things.

He couldn't hide how surprised he was, but at least he kept his voice quiet enough that no one paid any attention to them, "How'd you figure it out?"

She glanced over her shoulder then looked at him again and simply said, "Jackson. Remember that day Isaac knocked him on his ass? He complained about it all the next day, how he shouldn't have to take any crap from the boy who gets beat up by his own father. I asked him how he'd know that was going on and he said that he could hear Isaac's dad shouting when it happened since they live across the street from each other."

Ethan was at the same time shocked that other people knew about what was going on with Isaac and pissed that Jackson knew about it and apparently hadn't done anything. The thought that Lydia might be equally as callous as Jackson never crossed his mind. She was telling him that she knew, coming to the only person who could realistically be called Isaac's friend. Plus she hadn't treated Isaac like just anyone when she first sat down at their table, she had avoided subjects that would've been … stressful for Isaac.

That last thought caused Ethan to ask, "Did that have anything to do with you sitting at our table?"

She nodded, "Yeah, well kind of. I did really want to know more about your brother. But I also wanted a closer look at Isaac to see if what Jackson had said was true. Since you're his friend, I thought I'd tell you if it was true."

"Thank you." Because that had to be said, even if he'd figured it out already thanks to Derek. The fact that she was telling him about it meant a lot and it wasn't like she'd known he knew before she told him. Now he hoped that Aiden and Lydia managed to get together.

But that brought another question to mind, "Are you and Jackson still together?"

She snorted, "No. Not that I've told him that yet. It makes one wonder how things would work out with him if he can't be bothered to care, at all, about child abuse. So he can wander around in the dark for awhile."

Ethan had this feeling that Lydia could think up a lot of little ways to mess with people if she really wanted to, which made him want to avoid upsetting her if he could, but all he said was, "I'm sure you saw the way he and Aiden acted at the game last night."

All that got from her was a sigh and a single word, "Boys."

He shook his head, a grin on his lips, because he could hear everything that she meant in that one word. The disappointment in their childishness being among the forefront. He kind of wanted to point out that she was confiding in a boy while at the same time criticizing them, but didn't. She'd probably just point out that he was gay and therefore wasn't as immature or because he was gay she didn't mind pointing out her criticisms of his gender since he was never going to be interested in her anyway. Whatever the case, he didn't feel like arguing.

He did feel like getting back to the original point of the conversation, however, "So, now we both know about Isaac's … family life and we both know that we know about it. Did you have any suggestions?"

Lydia shrugged, "You seem to be doing a pretty good job of it already, even without knowing what it is that makes Isaac the way he is. You've already made a connection with him when no one else here has. Keep doing that and try not to let the word abuse mess with your head."

He nodded, but didn't say anything because he wasn't sure what to say. He kind of wanted Lydia to use her 170 IQ to give him some answer or advice besides staying the course. Being that smart, surely she could see something or think of something that he wouldn't. But she probably had all the same information he had and understood what was going on better than him.

It was just that it was so frustrating to know that Isaac was being hurt and he couldn't do anything about it. He had to just let it happen because if Isaac's dad were to get thrown in jail it would only be because Isaac had said something to the police because Isaac was the victim and no one else. Except Ethan didn't see that happening anytime soon. Isaac wasn't ready to do that, not yet.

So he focused on his chemistry book in front of him until the bell rang, then got up to go to lunch. As he did, he tried to keep himself calm. He also had to tamp down on his mind running wild with images of bruises all over Isaac because he knew if they were there he wouldn't see them. Isaac's dad was apparently good at keeping his abuse centered on the areas that weren't readily visible.

His rational side was right, when he got to the cafeteria Isaac didn't seem to have a mark on him. There were probably some under the sweater he wore, but at least the lack of bruises on Isaac's visible skin, what little there was, made it easier for Ethan to act normal. He was suddenly grateful for the long sleeves that Isaac wore. Isaac was already sitting in his normal spot and Ethan went to get his food. Going about his normal routine helped him relax a bit.

It was easier than he'd expected to act normally around Isaac. They talked about the lacrosse game and how they did on the chemistry exam last week. It felt a little weird, having two separate conversations going at the table at once. Scott and Stiles and Aiden were holding their own conversation while Ethan and Isaac talked and Lydia bounced between the two. But it seemed to work and it got Isaac out of his shell more than when there was only one conversation going.

When lunch came to an end, they went to their separate classes like usual and that also helped Ethan calm down a bit. If Isaac was going about his normal routine without any sign that anything had happened … well maybe something had but it wasn't above and beyond what Isaac already faced. The normal routine helped him pretend that everything was okay even when he just wanted to take Isaac back home with him and never let him go back to his own home again. But he'd manage his emotions and keep up the act because Isaac wasn't ready to say something. Not yet. Until then, Ethan would be his friend and try to get Isaac to trust him enough to finally tell him what was going on at home. Because he was determined to help Isaac, even if Isaac didn't realize it.


	10. Chapter 10

Ethan/Isaac

* * *

Even though he knew that Braeden's work wouldn't be finished in a single day, Ethan still felt impatient to see what she would dig up. Normally he would've been more patient, wouldn't have a problem with the waiting, except for two things. The fact that this problem was child abuse and the fact that the victim of the abuse was Isaac.

Oddly enough, the only thing that really made it easier for Ethan to wait was being around Isaac. Unless someone pushed for answers he wasn't ready to give, Isaac was good at making it look like everything was perfectly fine. That mask of normality helped keep Ethan calm, which felt really strange. If anyone needed help keeping it together, it should have been Isaac. Not Ethan.

The next few days passed without any big breakthroughs in their relationship, nor in Aiden and Lydia's. Although Ethan was getting the feeling that Lydia and his brother were gradually inching closer to each other without really realizing it. Their proximity probably helped. It surprised Ethan though that Jackson didn't seem to retaliate in any way, such as by knocking Aiden off his feet during lacrosse practice or something. He wasn't sure if Jackson had a clear grasp on which number Aiden was and which number Ethan was, but if he wasn't sure about that he definitely was unwilling to get hit by Isaac again.

When Friday came around, though, Ethan didn't quite want the weekend to come. Not that he didn't like the break from going to school every day. It was just that the weekend meant he wouldn't get to see Isaac for a couple of days and that thought made him nervous. He was getting this irrational fear that Isaac might just not show up one day because of his dad abusing him. No matter how much Ethan tried to reason with himself he couldn't banish that fear.

So during lunch, when everyone else was distracted by a slightly ridiculous debate between Lydia and Stiles as to whether Star Trek or Star Wars was the best science fiction series (which had been started by Stiles again lamenting Scott not having seen Star Wars and Lydia calmly saying that Scott should really watch Star Trek first), Ethan quietly turned to Isaac and asked, "Are you working after school today?"

Isaac glanced at him, confusion clear in his eyes, but he nodded, "Yeah, why?"

Ethan grinned a little self-consciously, "I was hoping we could hang out a bit, since neither of us get to see each other's house."

Isaac still seemed a little confused, as if what Ethan had said didn't compute, but after a few seconds he grinned a little, not enough for everyone else to notice but Ethan knew Isaac's face well enough to see it, "I'd like that."

Ethan's grin grew and he nodded before glancing back at their friends, tuning into the conversation just in time to hear Lydia say that Star Trek was much more meaningful than Star Wars and Stiles scoffed before launching into a rambling rebuttal. Isaac didn't participate in that conversation and didn't say anything more to Ethan, but Ethan didn't have a problem with that. He knew Isaac was probably still a little uncomfortable being included in the group and didn't want to get into a big conversation in front of them. He'd talk more when the two of them met up at the cemetery.

For now he was content to watch Lydia riling Stiles up because it was obvious to him that that was what she was doing. Stiles had passed the point of coolly thought of responses and was sputtering a bit as he tried to refute every little thing that Lydia said to put down Star Wars or explain why Star Trek was better. Lydia, for her part, wasn't saying much, just enough to set Stiles off again, and when she did she struggled to keep herself from smiling. Isaac was focusing on his notebook again, but every so often he would glance up at Stiles and Lydia, clearly paying attention. Ethan was happy to just sit back and enjoy the show.

* * *

Ethan got to the cemetery before Isaac did. He knew the route this time, unlike the last time when he'd gotten lost on the way. Even though he'd made it there first, it didn't take long for Isaac to show up. It wasn't terribly far from the high school. Unlike last time they'd met up in the cemetery, this time didn't feel awkward or tense. Isaac didn't really say anything and didn't do anything to acknowledge Ethan's presence except nod to him, but that didn't bother him. He could tell that Isaac was comfortable, at ease.

Knowing that he'd have to be the one who got the conversation started, it was just the way it was with the two of them, Ethan started talking about the argument between Stiles and Lydia. He did most of the talking, but every so often Isaac would add a few words. He even laughed at one of Ethan's jokes, something about the chemistry Stiles and Lydia would have if they weren't interested in other people. It wasn't much of a laugh, it was quiet and short but it was there and Isaac was smiling as he took care of the cemetery grounds. Ethan instantly felt proud of himself, even if he felt a little silly at being proud at a single laugh. But he'd never heard Isaac laugh before so he'd take what he could get.

Oddly enough, that laugh seemed to open the floodgates a little bit. Isaac started talking more, not to the same degree as Stiles but it was more than what Ethan usually got out of him. Mostly it was about Star Trek, which was surprising mostly because Isaac never talked about himself or what he liked. But Ethan had no problem holding up his end of a conversation about Star Trek. They ended up debating, in a much more friendly way than Stiles and Lydia at lunch, who was the best of the five captains. Ethan preferred Picard, but Isaac seemed to like Janeway.

They'd been walking around the entire cemetery for a while when Isaac came to a stop in front of two graves, kneeling down in front of them to brush away a few leaves with his hands. Ethan frowned, wondering why these two graves would be special, then he saw the names on them. They were Isaac's mother and brother. Ethan glanced over at him to see if Isaac was feeling alright, bring at the graves of his family. He'd honestly never thought about where Isaac's mother and brother were buried and it seemed rather macabre for someone to be working at the same cemetery where their family was buried.

But Isaac seemed fine as he looked up at Ethan and his lips curved up into a small smile, "I, uh, know that this isn't the normal way you meet a friend's family, but I always stop here when I have to work. This one's my mom's and this one's Camden's, my older brother."

Ethan took a step closer and knelt down next to Isaac, gently placing a hand on his shoulder, "For what its worth, I'm sorry."

Isaac glanced at him and nodded then looked back at the graves, "Thanks. You don't have to worry about it. I, uh, can tell that you do and I know I'm not a big talker, but … I'm not about to break down or anything. Its been a few years since Camden died, longer since mom died. I'll be okay."

Ethan nodded and stood, knowing he wasn't going to be very comfortable if he kept kneeling for much longer, "How did they die? If you don't mind telling me."

The last bit was rushed out, he didn't want Isaac to feel like he was being pushed. But Isaac seemed alright, calm. He just stood up and it reminded Ethan of how tall Isaac was. Isaac didn't tower over him like with Stiles or Lydia, but Isaac was easily one of the tallest guys at school when he actually stood to his full height. Which was very rare to see since Isaac usually hunched his shoulders as if he was trying to avoid having people see him or something.

Isaac's voice was quiet, but Ethan heard everything he said since there weren't any other noises to drown him out, "For my mom … it was cancer. I can't remember which kind it was, just that she started getting tired and weak all the time. She tried to make it seem like nothing was wrong … I had a feeling anyway. Then she was in the hospital all the time and she just didn't come home one day."

Ethan didn't know what to say to that so he decided not to say anything. It was a melancholy subject and Isaac looked a little down, but Ethan had seen a lot more emotion from him before. Talking about his family wasn't a happy subject, but it seemed like Isaac could handle it.

Isaac was silent for a moment, then he continued speaking, "Camden joined the military. My father was proud of him for that … until he got killed in action."

There was more to that story, Ethan could tell there was a lot being left unsaid. But Isaac just ran a hand through his curly hair and sighed, done talking about his family. Ethan couldn't blame him for that. He was surprised Isaac had told him even that much. Slowly, so that Isaac could avoid it if he wanted, Ethan reached out and took his hand. Isaac immediately looked down at their hands, like he was surprised at what was happening and couldn't quite believe it. But he didn't pull away or say anything. He just looked back at the graves.

They stood like that for a few minutes, Isaac staring at the graves of his mother and brother and Ethan staring at Isaac. When Isaac took a step away and said that he had to head home, Ethan let go. He wasn't going to push for more than he'd already gotten for one day. He thanked Isaac for telling him about his family and watched as he rode away.

As he got on his motorcycle, he hoped that Isaac would say something soon about the abuse. Isaac didn't deserve that and Ethan hated that it was happening. But he wouldn't push for what Isaac wasn't ready to give. He knew that would only be counterproductive. It didn't mean that waiting and hoping was any less frustrating, however.


	11. Chapter 11

Ethan/Isaac

Author's Note: So this chapter had been percolating in my head for a while now. Hope you enjoy.

* * *

Ethan didn't see Isaac again until after the weekend was over. When he did see Isaac again at lunch on Monday, what he saw kind of threw him for a loop. Instead of focusing on a notebook or textbook in front of him, Isaac was just sort of slumped forward onto the table, his head pillowed by his arms. Ethan didn't go running over to see what made today different, but he did end up walking pretty quickly once he had his food.

Isaac didn't look up when Ethan sat down and for a moment he wasn't sure what to do before he decided to fall back on their normal routine. That was what Isaac seemed most comfortable with. So he gently put a hand on Isaac's shoulder to get his attention and was again surprised when Isaac lifted his head and blinked at him blearily, almost like he'd been sleeping. That, in addition to the thin scar under one of his eyes that Ethan knew hadn't been there on Friday, had him worried.

So while passing Isaac his usual share of lunch, Ethan gently asked, "Hey, are you okay?"

Isaac nodded tiredly as he accepted the food, "Yeah, I just didn't sleep well the past couple nights. I've been kind of stressed lately."

That wasn't anywhere near satisfactory, but Ethan didn't want to push Isaac too hard. It was clear to him that something had happened, some kind of change had occurred over the weekend and Ethan wanted to know what it was. His desire for answers was only intensified when, after everyone else had sat down at the table, Stiles kept looking at Isaac like he'd done something really weird. But if he was going to get any more from Isaac, it wasn't going to happen at the lunch table.

One glance at Aiden and it was clear he'd picked up on Ethan's concern as well as Isaac's unusual lack of energy. Which was at the same time reassuring and concerning. Reassuring because it meant Ethan wasn't being totally paranoid and reading too much into things, concerning because it meant Isaac's unusual behavior was something everyone could see.

But as the period continued, everyone else fell back into the usual rhythm, with the exception of Stiles' odd glances at Isaac. Ethan was convinced Stiles knew something or had seen something because from those looks it was like he was trying to solve a puzzle which centered on Isaac. Who had gone back sleep, as far as Ethan could tell, as soon as he'd finished eating. Everyone else was pretty much letting Isaac be, as they usually did, despite his odd behavior, but Stiles wouldn't stop with those looks and Ethan wanted to know what was causing them.

He didn't say anything until the bell rang and everyone got up to go to class. Isaac, thankfully, got up and going without any need for help from anyone, which was a bit of a relief for Ethan. He would've stayed behind long enough to wake Isaac up if needed, but he wanted to know what Stiles knew. So he hurried off after Scott and Stiles, but not before he noticed that Aiden was keeping an eye on Isaac as they went off to their next class.

As soon as he got close enough, he interrupted Scott, "Hey, any idea what's up with Isaac today?"

Stiles looked a little perturbed at the interruption to the conversation, but he and Scott quickly picked up on the concern in Ethan's voice and Stiles shrugged as he said, "Dude, I have no idea what's going on in his life. Its just … I was at Derek's place Saturday night and then there's this knock on the door. We went to the door and there's Isaac standing just a little behind this woman and she looks a lot like Ms. Morrell. Before I get a chance to say anything, Derek just tells me to go up to his room and wait for him."

Ethan was frowning, confused by what Stiles was saying. It sounded like Isaac had somehow run into Braeden, but why would they go to Derek? And the thing that was bothering him the most was that Isaac had run, but he wasn't saying anything about it. Something had happened to make Isaac run or make Braeden intervene, something had changed. He wished he knew what was going through Isaac's head right now.

But Stiles was still talking so Ethan did his best to pay attention, "So I sit there for, like, an hour before Derek finally comes up. Then he tells me that Isaac will be staying the night and that I should head home, but I saw Isaac on my way out and he's visibly shaking and he's got this cut under his eye. I was thinking about staying, you know, to see if I could help somehow, but Derek just tells me to go home."

Ethan was grateful that no one in the halls was paying attention to their conversation. This wasn't something he wanted other people to hear, but at the same time he wanted so badly to know what was going on with Isaac. He wanted to know why Isaac had shown up at Derek's place, but clearly Stiles was just as clueless as Ethan. He also wanted to know what had changed to cause Isaac to run off like that. He'd been under the impression that whatever kind of abuse Isaac was dealing with, he never ran away from it. He'd seemed too isolated and alone for that.

He wanted to ask Stiles a question, something to help him understand what was going on, but he couldn't articulate what he was feeling so Scott beat him to it, "Why didn't you say anything?"

Stiles shrugged a little defensively, the accusatory tone in Scott's voice had been unmistakable even if Scott would never be able to hold a grudge against Stiles, "What was I supposed to say? The last time you and I tried talking to Isaac about his issues he clammed up and ran away from us as quick as he could. I tried asking Derek about it yesterday, but Isaac was still there and I could just see it in Derek's eyes that he wasn't about to tell me anything. I figured if any of us was going to figure it out it would be Ethan. You're the only one he really talks to, anyway."

Ethan sighed and nodded, knowing the truth of that. Isaac still wasn't a big participant in their conversations at lunch unless someone directly asked him about homework or lacrosse or something like that. The only person he really held a conversation with was Ethan. He couldn't blame Stiles for thinking the way he did.

He nodded again as he realized that they were coming to up to Scott and Stiles' next class and that he would have to hurry back across the school to make to his own class on time, "Thanks for telling me, really. Could you let me know if anything else comes up with Isaac?"

Stiles nodded quickly, "Yeah, no problem."

With a few quick 'see you later's, Scott and Stiles went into their classroom while Ethan walked back across the school as quickly as he could without actually running. He knew that as soon as he got the chance he was going to talk to Ms. Morrell. Hopefully she would have some answers on what Braeden was up to and why she'd brought Isaac over to Derek's place for the weekend.

He made it to his classroom a few seconds before the bell rang and let out a relieved sigh. As the teacher began speaking, Ethan wondered if he should try asking Isaac directly if anything was going on. But Isaac always deflected those kinds of questions. Confronting him with what he knew was out of the question. Despite the progress he'd made, Isaac was still kind of skittish even with him and he'd try to slip away from that kind of conversation.

Unable to think of any other way of getting answers from Isaac, Ethan resigned himself to having to wait for Isaac to open up to him on his own. However frustrating that might prove to be.

* * *

Ethan and his brother had just gotten home after lacrosse practice when he received a text. Pulling out his phone, he saw that it was from Isaac. But the message was just an address, nothing more. He frowned, wondering what this text was about, but before his mind could start spitting out ideas his phone started ringing.

He answered it quickly, trying not to get too excited by the fact that Isaac hadn't actually called him before and the strange text he'd received just a second ago, "Hey."

Isaac's voice was a little shaky as he asked, "Did you get my text?"

Ethan nodded even though he knew Isaac couldn't see it, "Yeah, I got it. Why'd you text me an address?"

By this point, Aiden was no longer heading to his room and had moved close to Ethan, listening in on the conversation as Isaac answered, "Its mine. You said, uh, that I could come to you … for, uh, anything."

He had the distinct feeling that there was a question in Isaac's words, like he was asking if asking Ethan for help was okay, and Ethan was quick to reassure him, "Yes, I did. Is something wrong, Isaac?"

There was a pause and Ethan experienced a moment of panic as he wondered if Isaac was having second thoughts about calling him, then Isaac's voice came through again, still a little shaky, "Could you come over? Now?"

He looked at Aiden, whose face was probably mirroring his own confusion perfectly, and asked, "Isaac, what's going on?"

"Could you just come over, please? And bring Aiden?"

This conversation was nothing if not confusing, but Ethan was quick to reassure Isaac, "Yeah, of course. We'll be there soon."

He waited a few seconds to see if Isaac would say anything else, but he just hung up. He looked over at Aiden to see him grabbing his leather jacket and helmet. Usually, if anyone spoke for the two of them it was Aiden, but his brother didn't seem to mind this time. Something was clearly going on with Isaac and Ethan knew Aiden had picked up on that. He also knew that, even if Aiden wasn't the most caring of people, his brother cared about what happened to Isaac because of Ethan's interest in him.

The ride over to Isaac's house took much longer than Ethan liked even though he knew it only took about fifteen minutes or so. It took a lot of self control not to go as fast as he could, but he knew that getting pulled over for speeding would take him a lot longer than going just over the speed limit. Still, he couldn't stop himself from thinking up possible scenarios of what had happened to make Isaac call him and having an abusive father in the mix had him worried.

When they finally arrived at Isaac's house, the first thing Ethan saw was Isaac standing in the open front door. He looked … Ethan wanted to say nervous, but he seemed more scared than nervous. Then he saw the house and the yard and they seemed like any other house and yard. Which made sense because if there were obvious signs of an abusive parent the abuse wouldn't go on for very long. It didn't make it feel any less weird for Ethan.

As soon as he was off his motorcycle he was hurrying over to Isaac, who let out a big sigh as he saw them coming, and he quickly asked, "What's going on?"

Isaac looked into the house and leaned back against the door frame, "I think … my dad might be dead. He's laying on the couch and … he's in the exact same position that he was in this morning."

Ethan glanced into the house and could see the couch from where he was standing, which helped to explain why Isaac was standing in the doorway, but Aiden butted in before Ethan could say anything, "You think? You haven't actually checked?"

Isaac hunched his shoulders a bit and Ethan had the feeling that he would've backed up a step or two if his back wasn't already up against something, "My dad's, uh, kind of a mean drunk and he isn't much better when he's hungover."

Meaning that Isaac was scared of what would happen if he woke his dad up, Ethan didn't need to have that spelled out for him so he tried to avoid an argument from starting, "We'll check."

Thankfully, Aiden followed him in without any fuss. It was a little odd, actually, because usually Aiden was the one taking the lead, but he was probably deferring to Ethan because he knew Ethan knew Isaac better than he did. Ethan approached Mr. Lahey slowly and couldn't help but wonder if Isaac was hoping that his dad was alive or hoping that his dad was dead. And at that moment he was extremely grateful that his parents were normal, loving parents even if they worked a little too much and were absent just as often as they were around. But he pushed that thought aside and focused on why he was here.

Mr. Lahey didn't seem to be moving at all and Ethan couldn't tell if he was even breathing or not. There was a bottle of whiskey, nearly empty, on the coffee table in front of the couch. He was a little surprised to see that the man didn't even seem to be at that tall. He'd expected someone who would've towered over Isaac, but he was pretty sure from what he could see that Isaac was taller than his dad. It was another one of those details, like the completely average looking house, that just sort of bothered him by how normal it seemed.

Aiden stepped around the coffee table and shook Mr. Lahey's shoulder. No response from the man. Not a single grumble or moan or groan or even a shift to readjust himself. Aiden put a couple fingers to the man's neck, feeling for a pulse just like in all those crime dramas. After about ten or fifteen seconds, Aiden looked at him and shook his head. Ethan glanced over at Isaac who was staring back at them, wide-eyed and nervous, with his hands in his pockets.

Aiden gestured for Ethan to come closer, saying, "I can't feel a pulse. But this is so surreal, you check him."

Ethan nodded and Aiden got out of the way. He completely understood what Aiden meant. Walking in to find a dead body on the couch, checking for his pulse to see if he was actually dead. He almost couldn't believe it was happening. But Isaac hovering in the doorway with that scar under his eye, that helped keep him grounded. So he put his fingers to Mr. Lahey's neck, then checked himself to make sure he was checking the right spot, then checked again. He couldn't feel a pulse. Nothing at all.

He looked back at Isaac, "I think he's dead. I can't feel a pulse."

Isaac still looked nervous, but he finally moved out of the doorway and into what Ethan assumed was the living room. He took a couple steps back when Isaac came closer to his dad and watched as Isaac repeated Aiden's actions, first shaking his dad's shoulder and then checking for a pulse himself. It was like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

But when Isaac stepped back, he heaved this great big sigh like he was relieved and there were tears welling up in his eyes as he looked at Ethan and bluntly asked, "What happens now?"

Ethan looked at Aiden then back at Isaac, a little taken aback that Isaac was looking to him for an answer, but he didn't say anything about that, instead all he said was, "Now, we call the sheriff."

Aiden nodded and took his phone out, waiting as it rang, then after a few seconds he said, "Stiles, is your dad home?"

Another few seconds of waiting, Ethan couldn't hear what Stiles might be saying but he could imagine Stiles was confused by that question, then Aiden said, "I'm asking because me and Ethan are at Isaac's house and we're pretty sure that Isaac's dad is dead."

Aiden winced, Stiles had probably just shouted into the phone, and a minute or two went by before Aiden hung up and looked at them, "The sheriff should be here in twenty minutes, maybe less. Stiles said not to touch anything."

Ethan nodded and looked at Isaac, who was now staring at his dad, and gently asked, "Do you have any idea what happened?"

Isaac shrugged and didn't lift his eyes from his dad's body, "I don't know. I was just hoping to sneak in and grab a few things and leave, but …" he gestured toward his dad, "then I saw him laying there and … I don't know, something didn't feel right. So I called you."

He nodded again, trying to remain calm for Isaac's sake, and decided that he didn't really like how Isaac was just staring at his dad. It was like he couldn't believe what was happening or what he was seeing so he was waiting for his dad to start moving again. But neither Ethan, nor Aiden, nor Isaac had seen or felt anything to indicate that Mr. Lahey was alive. So he put a hand on Isaac's shoulder and gently steered him back toward the front door and out onto the porch.

After a few seconds he asked, "Isaac, are you okay?"

Isaac ran a hand through his hair and glanced back at the house with a shrug, "I … I'm not sure."

Ethan nodded, he figured Isaac could've been doing a whole lot worse than he was so he'd take what he could get, then slowly took Isaac's hand and said, "If you ever want to talk to somebody, you can always call me. I meant it when I said you could come to me for anything."

Isaac glanced down at their hands then gripped a little tighter for a second before looking back up at Ethan's face with a slight smile tugging at the corners of his lips, "Thank you."

He didn't quite smile back, mainly because it would've been a big smile and that didn't feel right when there was a dead body just inside the house they were standing in front of, but he felt like this time his promise was sinking in. Like the first time he'd said it Isaac had just sort of listened but hadn't believed him. This time he could see it in Isaac's eyes that what he'd said was actually sinking in and that Isaac believed him.

They didn't say anything else, just waited for Sheriff Stilinski to arrive. Aiden came out of the house and looked like he was about to close the door then stopped himself. Whatever had caused Mr. Lahey's death Ethan didn't want to speculate, he'd probably just come up with crazy theories the way Stiles did for just about everything. But he didn't believe for a second that Isaac had anything to do with it, not when Isaac was so scared of his dad's anger that he'd called someone to help him figure out if his dad was dead or not because of the off-chance that his dad might wake up.

Whatever happened when the sheriff finally arrived, Ethan just hoped it wouldn't subject Isaac to any more pain. He'd already suffered more than he should've.

* * *

Author's Note (again): Sorry to leave you on a cliff hanger, but this felt like a good spot to end the chapter. I hate cliff hangers and I try to avoid them, but it makes sense in my head to end it here and hopefully you'll see what I mean after I post the next chapter.


	12. Chapter 12

Ethan/Isaac

Author's Note: Sorry for the wait, this chapter was fighting me almost the entire time I was writing it. I had the idea for this chapter in my head when I posted the last one, but then it just didn't want to be written. Anyway, reviews are appreciated and I hope you enjoy.

* * *

After leaving the sheriff's office, Ethan didn't see Isaac for the rest of the day. Which worried him until nearly 10pm when Stiles texted him to let him know what was happening with Isaac. Apparently Isaac's dad had died of alcohol poisoning, which wasn't that big a shock after what he'd seen, and Isaac was staying with Scott for the night. Possibly longer. Ethan let out a long, slow sigh as he read the texts. He was finally able to relax a little once he knew that Isaac was fine for the night.

He got to school a little earlier than normal the next day, hoping that he would see Isaac before class started. Thankfully, he did when Stiles' jeep pulled into the parking lot and Stiles, Scott, and Isaac got out. Isaac hurried out of the jeep, only stopping long enough to listen to Scott say a few words, then into the school. Ethan wanted to head after Isaac, but Scott was heading right for him so he waited.

As soon as he got close, Scott asked, "Did you know Isaac has nightmares?"

Ethan shook his head with a frown, "No. He had one last night?"

"Yeah, woke me and my mom up. He wouldn't talk about it, but he just kept apologizing over and over for waking us up. I stayed up with him for an hour before he finally calmed down enough to go back to sleep. But it wasn't like he was crying because his dad died or anything like that, it was like he was terrified."

Ethan glanced back at the main door to the school, as if he could see where Isaac had gone, because he had a feeling he knew what had caused that fear and that nightmare. Not that he was wanted to tell Scott about his suspicions, not yet. He needed to make sure it was true first and if Braeden had been in touch with Isaac then she would know and by extension so should Ms. Morrell.

Looking back at Scott and Stiles, he sighed, "Thanks for telling me. I can try talking to him, but there are some subjects that he just won't go near."

He knew that was what Scott wanted him to do. Everyone in their group knew that Ethan was the one with the closest connection to Isaac, the strongest friendship. So if anyone was going to try getting an answer out of Isaac, it was going to be Ethan.

Scott, to his credit, just shrugged, "Yeah, I kind of picked up on that last night. I'm just a little worried. His dad just died."

He could see the sympathy there and was positive that at some point Scott would try offering Isaac his condolences, so he knew he needed to head that off, "Scott, I don't think Isaac feels that bad about what happened to his dad." When Scott and Stiles looked at him like he'd suddenly grown another head, he quickly explained, "He's never told me much about his dad, but they didn't have the same kind of relationship that either of you have with your parents. I think it was a lot worse."

Scott frowned, clearly having been thrown for a loop, while Stiles almost instantly asked, "What do you mean? A lot worse like how? The normal teenage challenging of authority figures? Or like he hated his dad or his dad was a complete asshole?"

Ethan sighed heavily and glanced at his watch to make sure they weren't going to be late for class, "Don't tell anyone else about this because I'm sure he doesn't want others to know. It was more like he was scared of his dad, so scared he wouldn't check to see if his dad was actually dead until Aiden and I had checked first."

Scott's frown had deepened, "Maybe he was just scared of actually confirming that his dad was dead. Like he didn't want to believe it."

He shook his head, he could see that Scott was trying to see things in the best possible light and not believe that a kid would have a reason to fear his own parent but sadly the world wasn't always that kind, "No, more like he was scared of waking his dad up in case the guy was still alive. So, just … if you do say something about it try to keep it brief and don't ask about his relationship with his dad."

Scott nodded, probably seeing the seriousness in Ethan's face and eyes, and Stiles opened his mouth to say something but then Lydia was hurrying by, "If you boys want to get to class on time you'd better get moving."

Ethan glanced at his watch again and saw that she was right. The three boys went into the school after her, not having the time to continue talking.

* * *

Ms. Morrell never seemed to schedule appointments during the period when Ethan had his study hall and for that he was extremely grateful because at the moment he wanted to understand things perfectly. If he was right about Isaac being abused by his dad and what had happened to cause Isaac to pop up at Derek's place and stay the weekend. He wanted those things answered and he really hoped Ms. Morrell could help.

She was facing the door as he walked in and calmly spoke before he could, "I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you're here now. I heard about Isaac's father and what else happened over the weekend. Where would you like to start?"

Seeing that she went to sit down, Ethan did the same and suddenly found himself more nervous than he'd expected, "Was I right?"

He didn't need to elaborate as to what, she just let out a sigh and nodded, "You were. Isaac's father was abusing him. Braeden said there was a lot of shouting and physical violence. More shouting than violence, however. Mr. Lahey was at least smart enough to avoid doing anything that would make the abuse obvious, most of the time."

Ethan sighed heavily and leaned back in his chair, not quite sure how to feel. He was at the same time feeling somewhat vindicated, because he'd been right about the abuse, and terribly sad for what Isaac had gone through. Probably for years. After a couple seconds he settled on feeling bad for Isaac.

When he looked back up at her, Ms. Morrell continued, "As for this weekend's activities … Braeden watched Isaac's house. She told me there was a lot of shouting one night, what sounded like things being broken, and then Isaac came running out of the house, jumped on his bike and rode off as fast as he could. Then his father came after him in his car and Braeden went after Isaac, caught up to him first, and got him over to Derek Hale's place safe and sound."

He nodded and asked, "What was it that got Isaac to run away?"

She glanced down at her hands before looking at him again, "His father threw a glass at his head. It shattered against the wall and one of the shards almost hit his eye. Braeden said he would have a scar under one of his eyes because of it. I can only guess that in that moment it dawned on Isaac that his father might actually kill him or cause permanent physical damage, so he ran."

Ethan had seen the scar, had wondered what had caused it. Now he was just glad the scar was all that was there, instead of anything worse that could have happened. Yet he couldn't help but wonder if that was all that had caused Isaac to finally run, to finally try to get away from the abuse. He was under the impression that whatever Isaac had been enduring up to his dad's death, it had never been pretty or easy.

There was one thing, though, that had him confused, "Why would Braeden take Isaac to Derek's?"

"They know each other and Braeden probably thought that Isaac's father wouldn't know to look there. Plus, Derek Hale could handle himself pretty well in bad situations."

That surprised him, not that Derek could take care of himself if things got ugly, well it did actually, but what really surprised him was that Isaac had been right about Derek. He hadn't really been able to see it himself, but he figured Isaac had a better idea of what to look for. So Isaac winding up at Derek's was explained. Braeden had probably been staking out Isaac's house to take pictures or something, which would explain how she'd seen Isaac running out of the house and got him to Derek's.

Realizing that Ms. Morrell was waiting for him to say something, he asked, "I assume Braeden has photos or something, right?" When she nodded he continued, "What happens to those?"

"She'll hang onto them, keep them hidden. With Isaac's father dead, the evidence against him for abusing his son doesn't matter anymore. It no longer has any potential use in court and it would probably just cause more pain for Isaac if it came to light. The principal asked me to schedule a few sessions with Isaac to help him cope with his father's death and move forward, which I believe to be a good idea even if its for other reasons. For you, Ethan, I think the best thing you can do now is to continue being his friend."

He nodded, having intended to do just that even before he talked to Ms. Morrell. He wasn't sure who would make the first move, if Isaac would come to him or if he would go to Isaac, but either way he wasn't about to abandon Isaac. Not after he'd spent so much time with him already and not when there was so much more to learn about Isaac. Not after Isaac had called him after realizing there was something wrong about his dad, beyond the usual.

Since most of his questions had been answered, and the period was almost over, Ethan stood from his chair, "Thank you, Ms. Morrell."

She smiled back, but it didn't quite reach her eyes, "Happy to help."

Just as he got out into the hallway the bell rang, signaling the end of the class period. For Ethan it meant that it was time for lunch. Remembering the day before and how he'd been about two seconds from being late, he went to locker to get his things for his next class before heading to the cafeteria. When he got there, he was a little unsure of how to proceed. His hesitance was only worsened when he saw that Isaac actually had his own lunch for once, no doubt Ms. McCall's doing. But he decided to get the usual extra amount of food anyway because he knew Isaac was aware of the little things and he wanted to show Isaac that he was still there for him.

As he sat down and gave Isaac his usual share he saw a slight smile on Isaac's lips and couldn't hold back his own smile when Isaac quietly said, "Thanks."

When he looked back at the rest of table, he was thankful that most of them were caught up in their own conversation. Except for Lydia, who seemed very good at multitasking, because she had this knowing look in her eyes, mixed with approval. Like she knew exactly what he was doing and was glad that he was doing it. He rolled his eyes and hoped that Isaac wasn't paying attention. Subtlety wasn't really one of Lydia's gifts and Isaac seemed to be good at reading people.

But when Ethan glanced back at Isaac, he saw more of his curly hair than his face because Isaac was hunched over a notebook, scribbling away. It was surprisingly normal, but he wouldn't be surprised if Isaac found some comfort in falling back on his normal routine after his life had changed so dramatically within the space of a few days. He probably would himself if he were in Isaac's shoes.

He wasn't able to focus on Isaac for very long, though, because suddenly Stiles was asking him a question about twins. Ethan focused on the conversation again, but glanced over at Aiden as he wondered why Stiles just hadn't asked Aiden instead.

* * *

Ethan wasn't expecting to run into Isaac after lacrosse practice, not with the way he always bolted to the locker room and changed in the blink of an eye, so he was surprised when he walked out of the locker room to see Isaac just standing in the hallway like he was waiting for someone. He looked a little nervous, which Ethan couldn't explain. Isaac smiled a little when he saw him and Ethan figured that was as much of an invitation as he could hope for.

And decided to go with the obvious, "Waiting for someone?"

Isaac nodded and rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah, uh, Scott and Stiles insisted on giving me a ride to school this morning, since I'm living with Scott and his mom for now. But now I have to wait for them to get a ride back to his house."

Ethan nodded and went for another obvious question, "What about work? Or does the cemetery not want you there until after everything is sorted with your dad?"

Isaac ran a hand through his hair, "I don't even know what's going to happen with the cemetery. My dad was the one who took care of it and I worked for him. Hardly ever got paid for it."

He looked like he was about to say more, but then Jackson and Danny came out of the locker room and Isaac clammed up immediately. Ethan, on the other hand, would've liked to fill the sudden silence but wasn't sure what to say. Realizing that the only time Isaac was away from his abusive father was at school had thrown him a bit. Isaac had been completely dependent on his father for everything, had probably been aware of it too, and had been unable to change that. Probably unwilling to even think of trying with how afraid he'd been of his father.

He didn't even want to think about what it had been like for Isaac, being afraid all the time. Not that he'd tell Isaac that he knew about the abuse. Isaac would tell him when he was ready, at least Ethan hoped he would. But Isaac's father was gone now and Isaac didn't have to be afraid anymore. His life would be a little chaotic and stressful as he dealt with issues like his home, inheritance, where he would stay on a permanent basis, and his father's funeral. Ethan stopped that line of thought because he hated the thought of Isaac continuing to put up a mask and pretend to be the distraught child who had just lost a parent. Not when his father had been anything but a good parent.

Suddenly feeling the need to get Isaac away from all this negativity that seemed to be following him everywhere, Ethan had an idea and abruptly changed the subject, "You know how Stiles is always bugging Scott to watch Star Wars?"

Isaac nodded, frowning slightly, "Yeah, why?"

"I think its time he finally watched it. Friday night, you, me, Scott, and Stiles, we'll all watch Star Wars. What do you think?"

Isaac was clearly surprised at the proposed plan and Ethan figured it was more due to the fact that he was being invited to do something with a group than anything else. He was probably still a little uncomfortable around Scott and Stiles, too, so that surely factored in. But he hoped that Isaac trusted him enough to go along with this.

After a few seconds had passed, Isaac nervously replied, "Um, can I think about it and get back to you?"

Maybe Isaac didn't trust him all that much. Ethan dismissed that thought as quickly as it came. Isaac probably trusted him more than anyone else. It was probably the thought of spending time with Scott and Stiles that was making Isaac unsure of what to do. After going for years with no friends and no social outings of any kind, Ethan figured he'd probably be as nervous as Isaac was.

So he nodded and did his best to hide his disappointment at not receiving an immediate yes, "Of course. Not a problem at all. Just give me an answer before school gets out on Friday."

Isaac nodded quickly and hurried off to join Scott and Stiles as they exited the locker room. Stiles was rambling again and didn't notice until Scott looked past him and nodded to Isaac, which caused Stiles to look behind him to see who was there and stagger backward in shock at suddenly seeing Isaac right behind him. He ended up running into Scott, who was too busy laughing to get out of the way in time, and Ethan was positive he saw a smile on Isaac's lips at Stiles' antics as the three of them continued walking.

With Isaac on his way to his new home with Scott and Aiden coming out of the locker room, Ethan decided there was no reason for him to hang around. So he and his brother headed out to the parking lot and their waiting motorcycles. He was actually kind of eager to get back home so he could admire the latest wolf drawing that had appeared in his locker.


	13. Chapter 13

Ethan/Isaac

Author's Note: Reviews are appreciated and I hope you enjoy.

* * *

Over the next few days word started getting around the school that Isaac's dad had died. Just about every teacher took a moment to talk to Isaac privately and offer their sympathies, which, as far as Ethan could tell, Isaac just shrugged off. They meant well and he knew that, although Ethan could tell it bothered him. Not that Isaac said anything about it, but Ethan could see him hunching his shoulders more and moving more quickly through the halls like he wanted to avoid anyone noticing him.

It was worse when other students came up to offer their sympathies. People who had never spoken to Isaac before and had never tried were suddenly coming up to him to say how sorry they were. Ethan could practically hear Isaac's thoughts on the subject. When his abusive father had been alive no one cared, but when his abusive father died and he was finally free of the abuse everyone was saying how sorry they were for his loss. Ethan was pretty sure he would've been on the receiving end of a rant on the absurdity of it all, only if Isaac had told him about the abuse. As things were, Isaac's mood became increasingly dour as the week went on.

Isaac didn't give Ethan an answer on Wednesday or Thursday and Ethan didn't press for one. He knew he needed to give Isaac some space so that he could be comfortable. Plus, Isaac wasn't exactly close to Scott or Stiles, which was probably the biggest reason why he was slow to give Ethan an answer. Still, he'd talked to Scott and Stiles about his plan for Friday night and both of them had agreed to go along with it. Scott had even playfully suggested that he could force Isaac to join them if they decided to do it at his house.

But by the time lunch rolled around on Friday, Ethan was worried Isaac's bad mood would make him say no and dig his heels in. Several students, including Erica and Boyd, had offered their sympathies earlier that morning and Ethan could tell it was just pissing Isaac off now. After those two, Ethan knew that Isaac had no more patience for the sympathy of others.

So when Allison came over to their lunch table, a sympathetic look on her face, Ethan knew nothing good was coming and once she had reached the table she looked at Isaac, who was hunched over his notebook and refusing to look at her, she said, "I know you've probably heard this plenty of times by now, but I just wanted to say how sorry I am about your father's death."

The table fell silent, most of them were probably being respectful, but Isaac didn't even look up from his notebook as he responded, "Why?"

To say Ethan was surprised by that single word Isaac uttered would have been stating the obvious and would have been a huge understatement if Allison's face was any indication. She was flabbergasted, opening and closing her mouth as she struggled to figure out how to respond. Beside Ethan, Aiden was grinning slightly and beside him Lydia looked like she was torn between wanting to explain to Allison what was going on with Isaac and being proud of Isaac for that blunt reply. Scott and Stiles both looked concerned in general.

After more than a few seconds had passed, Allison gathered herself for another go at offering her condolences, "Its just … I know how hard it is to lose a parent. I'd give anything to have my mom back. You must feel the same way about your dad."

Isaac finally looked up at her and his voice was surprisingly calm, "No, I don't. I'm sure you loved your mom very much, but trust me … you wouldn't want my father back if you were me. I'm actually quite happy about it, at least I would be if everyone would stop saying how sorry they are."

Allison looked positively horrified at Isaac's words and the hint of anger in his voice probably had just made it worse for her to hear, but he'd already turned back to his notebook, hunched his shoulders, and tugged his sleeves further up over his hands. Ethan knew him well enough to know that he was done with this conversation. But he kept a close eye on Allison, ready to jump in and derail any further conversation on the topic of Isaac's dad and what he might or might not be feeling.

To her credit, though, Allison seemed to get the picture and after a few seconds of standing there awkwardly she walked back to the table she'd gotten up from. All without saying another word. Ethan slowly relaxed and glanced at his friends. They all seemed to understand to avoid the subject of Isaac's father, at least Ethan hoped thought they did judging by their facial expressions. Scott was staring at Allison, obviously concerned about her. Ethan figured those two were still dating, but Allison had never joined their table and Stiles did his best to keep Scott off the topic of Allison at all times so he honestly wasn't sure.

Even though Isaac hadn't raised his voice at all, Ethan knew that response was Isaac's equivalent to a shout. Isaac was almost always quiet and when he wasn't quiet he was never any louder than the norm for everyone else. Add in to that the fact that Isaac was either shy or just not used to having friends and carrying on normal conversations with people and there was no doubt in Ethan's mind that Isaac was finally pissed to the point that he just wasn't going to accept the ignorant sympathy of everyone in the school anymore. Not for his father's death, at least.

After a moment of slightly uncomfortable silence in which no one seemed to know what to say, Ethan decided to try to just move on from the previous conversation, "So when did Mr. Harris say the next chemistry test was?"

Everyone seemed to get the message, thankfully, and a new conversation started up. Ethan glanced at Isaac out of the corner of his eye and saw him slowly relaxing as everyone went back to normal. He was used to people leaving him alone and probably wanted that at the moment. Ethan had seen it before at the other schools he'd gone to, when a quiet kid had a sudden outburst they weren't sure what to do once the outburst came to an end and, more often than not, retreated back to their usual quiet nature.

Isaac didn't talk again during the rest of the period, but when the bell rang and everyone headed off to class Isaac did not. He just hung back a little like he was waiting for something. Or maybe he was just waiting for a little privacy from the rest of their group so that they wouldn't question him. It wouldn't surprise Ethan, so he waited a few seconds to see if Isaac was going to say anything.

When Isaac didn't speak, Ethan gently asked, "Something on your mind, Isaac?"

The taller boy nodded and glanced around like he was worried that someone might be eavesdropping, "My answer is yes. To tonight, Star Wars with you and Scott and Stiles. If you haven't made other plans."

Ethan smiled, happy to hear that even if Isaac was giving him an out if he wanted it, "Sounds great. I hadn't made any other plans, by the way."

Isaac looked like he didn't know how to respond to that, so instead of saying anything else he just nodded after a few seconds and left for his class. Ethan chuckled and got going toward his own class. This was probably going to be a new experience for Isaac and Ethan wouldn't be surprised if he was feeling a little nervous. Hopefully Isaac would enjoy himself tonight, he certainly deserved a little happiness for once.

* * *

"Wait, I'm confused. Explain the Force to me again."

Stiles sighed heavily and sat back down. He had gotten up to put Episode V in, but now he turned to Scott and began explaining the Force in extravagant detail because apparently Scott wasn't much of a sci-fi fan. Or maybe it was just Star Wars, Ethan wasn't sure. They'd watched Episode IV first because, as Stiles had explained after Ethan had shown up, Episodes I, II, and III were crap compared to IV, V, and VI. Stiles had been and still appeared to be very excited about finally getting Scott to watch Star Wars while Isaac was quiet. Probably just trying to enjoy the movie.

He stood up and announced that he was going to make some more popcorn. Neither Scott nor Stiles seemed to notice. Stiles was talking a mile a minute and Scott looked like he was desperately trying to keep up. Ethan had the impression that this was going to take a few minutes at least, plenty of time to make more popcorn. Especially since it was microwavable popcorn.

He had just got the first bag in the microwave and turned toward the refrigerator when he saw Isaac standing in the doorway into the kitchen, so he said, "Hey, enjoy the movie?"

Isaac nodded and took a few steps into the kitchen, "Yeah. I'm more into Star Trek myself, but this is … nice."

Ethan grinned because he knew Isaac wasn't referring to the movie, "I'm glad you decided to show up. I was starting to worry you wouldn't."

That got a slight frown from Isaac, who cautiously asked, "Why … why did you invite me to this?"

His grin faded a little and he quickly tried to think of the right thing to say, "I just thought that you'd want a chance to just relax and enjoy yourself. Your dad dieing has surely caused a lot of stress and you should be able to have a little fun on a Friday night."

Isaac nodded and took a couple steps closer to Ethan, close enough to touch but neither of them did, "You're right. It has. I, uh, wasn't planning on joining you for this … but then Allison told me how sorry she was and I just couldn't stand it. She's never tried talking to me before and she didn't know my father. It was more about her than me." He shook his head and ran a hand through his curls, "So I said yes. So I could enjoy myself for once because … because I've never done that, never been able to, not since Camden died."

Tears were welling up in his eyes, probably from pain and frustration over his own crappy life than his dad's death. Which Ethan would normally find incredibly selfish and petty, except he knew Isaac's life actually was pretty crappy. Isaac wasn't some spoiled kid who didn't get some new toy, he was a teenager who'd been abused by his own father for years and hadn't had any friends until Ethan came along.

He was tempted to pull Isaac into a hug, try to comfort him, but he wasn't sure how comfortable Isaac was with him, if Isaac would accept the gesture or pull back, so instead he brought his hand up to pat Isaac on the shoulder, a reassuring touch small enough that Isaac wouldn't feel uncomfortable, "Like I said, I'm glad you said yes. If you decide at the end of the night that you still enjoyed it, I'd be happy to take you out somewhere and show you a good time again."

Isaac wiped his tears away before they could fall and blinked a few times before asking, "Do you mean … like on a date?"

Ethan frowned for a second before he realized what he'd said, but stopped himself from blurting out a denial. Hasty actions could screw things up between himself and Isaac and he wanted something in Isaac's life to work out well for once. He also wouldn't mind a date with Isaac, but he wasn't about to push for one. At least not until he was certain that Lydia was right about Isaac's possible feelings toward him.

He pulled his hand away and headed for the microwave, realizing belatedly that the first bag was done, "Only if you want it to be, Isaac."

Isaac didn't reply as Ethan put another bag in the microwave and dumped the popped bag into a bowl. He glanced over his shoulder to see that Isaac was thinking about it so he turned to face the microwave again. He didn't want to look like he was waiting for an answer. At this point, he didn't need one. Isaac was dealing with a lot at the moment, although it wasn't as bad as what he'd been dealing with a week before. Still, Ethan didn't want to pressure him in any way.

Just as the other bag of popcorn was ready Scott poked his head into the kitchen, "Hey, sorry for making you guys wait for me, but we're ready to watch the next one when you are."

Ethan nodded easily, "Just give me a second and we're good to go."

Scott nodded and went back into the living room while Ethan poured the popcorn into the bowl with the rest, hoping that Stiles wouldn't take all of it. He'd eaten almost half the bowl within five minutes of the first movie starting and had only been prevented from eating the rest of it when Ethan had taken it away from him. No one had actually been complaining, but he had wanted to give Isaac the chance of getting some popcorn.

As he grabbed the bowl, Ethan quietly said, "Come on, stop thinking for a little while and let's enjoy the movie."

Isaac nodded, smiling slightly, as he followed Ethan back into the living room, grabbing some popcorn before he sat down. As soon as everyone was seated again, Stiles pressed play and everyone focused on the screen once more.


	14. Chapter 14

Ethan/Isaac

Author's Note: Reviews are appreciated and I hope you enjoy.

* * *

He didn't hear from or see Isaac at all on Saturday, but that wasn't a surprise. What was a surprise was receiving a text from Isaac on Sunday asking if he wouldn't mind meeting him at the cemetery, to which Ethan asked when. Isaac's reply said half an hour and included an apology because he was worried it was too short notice for Ethan to change his plans and show up. It felt like Isaac was expecting rejection and bracing himself for it when it inevitably occurred.

Thankfully, Ethan wasn't all that busy. The only thing that required his time was homework and he could spare some time to be with Isaac. Even if he had been busy, seeing that Isaac kind of expected rejection would've gotten him to show up just to prove him wrong. So he texted back to let Isaac know he'd be there and tried not to think about how unusual it was to be hanging out with a friend at a cemetery. But Isaac wasn't the kind of guy who had an abundance of friends or as much experience with friends as the average guy. It wouldn't surprise Ethan if Isaac wasn't sure what to do.

Upon arriving at the cemetery he saw Isaac by the front gate waiting for him so he asked, "I didn't make you wait, did I?"

Isaac shook his head, "No, I was already here, but I didn't want to force you to drop everything and race over here."

He grinned and clapped Isaac on the shoulder, "Its alright. I wasn't really doing anything anyway. So what are you doing here in the cemetery?"

Isaac's lips curled up slightly in the beginnings of a smile as he turned and began heading into the cemetery, "Its easy to think out here. Not many distractions." He fell silent for a few seconds before he spoke again and when he did Ethan saw his face getting a little red, "And I, uh, was basically forced out of Scott's house for a few hours."

Isaac didn't look upset in any way, just embarrassed, "How did that happen?"

The taller boy rubbed at the back of his neck as his face got a little redder, "Well, before my dad died I had to do all the cleaning and cooking and, uh, he wouldn't be happy if the house wasn't spotless or if I didn't have dinner ready exactly when he expected it to be ready. So I started doing that for Scott and his mom, but I guess I was overdoing it. It didn't help that I didn't really have anything else to do and-"

"Isaac, its okay. You don't have to explain every little detail. I get it."

Honestly, he did. Probably more so than Isaac realized since Isaac didn't know that he knew about the abuse. This just sounded like Isaac was doing exactly what he'd known to do while he was living with his dad, but clearly things were a little different living with the McCalls. He was sure Isaac would get comfortable with them, it was just a matter of time.

A grin grew on his lips as a thought occurred to him, "Besides, the hosts are the ones who are supposed to do all the cooking and cleaning, not the guest. They probably think you're making them look bad."

That got a laugh out of Isaac, just one and it was quiet but it was a laugh so Ethan was happy, "Yeah, I guess I'm still getting used to living with them. They're both … really nice."

There was a bit of astonishment in Isaac's voice as he said that, but Ethan didn't point that out, instead he glanced at the tombstones as they walked, "Scott had to get it from somewhere and his dad has apparently been gone for a while now."

Isaac nodded and looked up at the sky for a second, the sun was going down and would be setting soon, before watching where he was going again, "I know, its just … so different from what I'm used to. Its practically a dream and I'm kind of afraid sooner or later I'll wake up and everything will be back to normal."

Ethan didn't respond right away. His first instinct was to back away from the subject of Isaac's father because they had been a really sensitive issue in the past. Yet here Isaac was opening the door about it all on his own. After a moment's thought, he decided to try asking about it and hoped it wouldn't blow up in his face.

"You sound like it wasn't all that great living with your dad."

Isaac glanced at him and Ethan could see a bit of fear in his eyes, showing up immediately like it was instinct or something, but after a few seconds Isaac just let out a tired sigh, "It wasn't. It was hell. Sometimes when I had to come here to dig new graves I would wonder if I would ever literally dig my own grave or if I'd end up in one before he did."

He shook his head, hating how serious Isaac was when he said that. Like it had been a real possibility. Which was a terrible thought and Ethan couldn't help but wonder why the hell Isaac hadn't run sooner if he'd seriously wondered if his dad's abuse could result in his death. But he did his best not to let those thoughts show on his face because he didn't want Isaac to know that he knew. That might push him away somehow and Ethan didn't want to risk that.

When they came to a stop, he realized that Isaac had led him to his family's graves, which included the new addition of Mr. Lahey, but he remained focused on Isaac and gently put a hand on his shoulder, "For whatever its worth, I'm sorry for what you had to go through."

Isaac nodded and glanced at him again, a soft and slight smile on his lips, but he didn't say anything. Ethan didn't need to hear it aloud, though, because he could see that Isaac was thankful for what he'd said. Even if it couldn't fix anything or take away the pain, at least Isaac knew someone cared about what he was really upset over. Which wasn't his dad's death because Isaac's only concern about that seemed to be whether or not it was real and would last, like he was afraid too many good things were happening in his life and it would come to an abrupt end.

A moment or two passed before the silence was broken when Isaac quietly asked, "Why wasn't Aiden there Friday night? Whenever I see one of you at school I usually see the other close by."

Ethan nodded and tried not to feel disappointed that Isaac was retreating from the big and meaningful personal stuff, "He had other plans. Plans which involved Lydia, although I'm not sure how successful those plans were. We haven't talked about that yet."

Isaac nodded and fell silent, a lapse in conversation that Ethan was used to by now when it came to Isaac, then after a few seconds he asked, "Is something going on between them?"

Isaac wasn't looking at him, but there had been genuine curiosity in his voice so Ethan guessed that Isaac was keeping a polite distance, in a way, "Yes and no. Aiden wants there to be, but I don't think they've gone on any dates yet. Unless Friday was their first."

He watched as Isaac mulled over that answer and looked at his brother's headstone for a moment before saying, "I've … never actually been on a date before. I don't think I'd have any idea what to do."

While it was a surprise to hear him say that, mostly because it just sort of seemed expected for everyone to date at some point in high school, after a second he realized it wasn't surprising at all. Not with the way Isaac's life had been. Ethan wasn't the most experienced himself when it came to dating, but his own experience dwarfed Isaac's. Still, the thought of asking Danny for a few pointers, because the guy had quite a bit of experience if the gossip could be believed, briefly flitted across his mind before being quickly dismissed. If things turned out the way he hoped, and Lydia thought, they would it would be because of what he did, not advice he'd been given. His own way of doing things with Isaac seemed to be working.

But he tried to not get lost in his thoughts because Isaac was giving him an opening, "Like I said on Friday, I could show you a good time, show you what going on a date is like. If you want to, that is. If you don't, that's fine."

He included that opening, showing Isaac a way to pull back guilt free if he felt like it, because he didn't want Isaac to feel pressured to go in one direction or the other. Despite his friendship and the recent proximity of others like Scott and Stiles, Isaac was still shy and a little skittish. Not that he ever blamed him for that.

Isaac continued to stare at his brother's headstone, as if he were hoping Camden would help him figure out what he wanted to do or something like that, "Why would you want to date me? There has to be people out there who are much easier to be around than me."

That question surprised him, he'd expected Isaac to be a bit more eager to be involved with someone but instead the guy was asking why him, but he tried not to show how surprised he was, "Maybe there are people out there who would be easier to be with, but its not about that, Isaac."

Isaac looked at him, a mixture of confusion and nervousness in his eyes, "Then what is it about? What would make someone like you interested in someone like me?"

Ethan resisted the urge to sigh and shake his head, instead he took a step closer to Isaac and got closer to him than he would've been comfortable with if it had been anyone but Ethan, "Its about this, Isaac. If Scott or Stiles or anyone else tried to get this close to you it just wouldn't happen. Its about no one knowing anything about you, but I'd like to know what goes on in your head and share in your secrets. You're smart and you're attractive and your dad did something to scare the shit out of you, but you're still a great guy despite that."

Isaac was blushing by the time Ethan finished his little speech and looking away, rubbing the back of his neck, disbelief in his voice, "Is that really how you see me?"

Ethan nodded quickly and cautiously reached out to take Isaac's hand and was heartened when Isaac didn't shy away, instead he laced his fingers together with Ethan's and let Ethan put a hand on his shoulder, "Yes, it is. Trust me, everyone else is missing out by not noticing you."

He didn't get an immediate response, but he wasn't too concerned by that. Isaac needed a moment to gather his thoughts and Ethan was happy to give it to him. All these changes that were happening in Isaac's life were happening in rapid succession and it was probably a lot for him to take in. Ethan knew what he wanted, but he wasn't sure Isaac did. Or if he did maybe he was too shy or unsure of himself to go after it.

Isaac's voice was hesitant as he asked, "Is that … is that why you sat down at my table the first time? You saw me and decided you wanted to date me?"

He resisted the urge to pull Isaac closer, despite his desire to be closer he knew this wasn't the time for that, "Actually, the first time I saw you I wondered why you were just sitting all by yourself and I thought you could use a friend. Especially after I found out that you didn't really have any. The rest came later, after I got to know you a little."

Isaac just sort of stared at him like he was trying to see if Ethan was lying to him or not telling the whole truth. After a moment that just seemed to stretch on forever, Isaac closed the small gap between them and wrapped his arms around Ethan, who would be a liar if he even thought about denying how surprised he was. That didn't stop him from bringing his arms up around Isaac as the taller boy buried his head against his shoulder. Isaac was tense and fidgeted a little and it felt like he wasn't quite sure how tightly he was able to hold onto Ethan. As if he wasn't used to doing this at all.

Neither of them said anything. Ethan didn't want to push for a conversation and make Isaac uncomfortable. He was also pretty sure that Isaac was trying to used to physical contact again. Physical contact that wasn't painful in any way. Like he wanted to have that physical contact and intimacy that so many people took for granted and he was trying to get there with someone he trusted.

After what was probably a couple minutes Isaac slowly relaxed and quietly said, "I've never dated anyone before."

Ethan smiled a little, understanding exactly what Isaac had left unsaid, "Then I'll take the lead and do my best to show you a good time. As long as you let me know if I come up with any bad ideas."

"I can do that."


	15. Chapter 15

Ethan/Isaac

Author's Note: Sorry for making you wait, I know I took longer to post this chapter than I usually do. Its longer than usual though. Anyway, reviews are appreciated and I hope you enjoy.

* * *

They didn't do anything Sunday night. Isaac had said he needed to get back before Scott or his mom started to worry, especially after they realized he didn't really have anywhere to go when he was out of the house. Ethan had homework to finish and he didn't want to rush things with Isaac. That thought went through his head so much it felt like a cliché by now, but it was the truth. He was honestly grateful for the progress he'd made already with Isaac.

When Monday rolled around, neither of them said anything about what had happened the day before. Isaac was too shy to bring up something that personal and Ethan didn't want to say anything until he was absolutely certain that him and Isaac were a confirmed thing. Mostly he wanted to spare Isaac any embarrassment or heartache or whatever that might come up if their friends knew this quickly. It didn't hurt that no one asked.

It also became clear on Monday that word had gotten around about Isaac's little conversation with Allison and everyone had stopped profusely offering their sympathies. Most of them seemed to have gone back to ignoring Isaac while some looked at him like he was about to snap. Ethan thought that was highly unlikely. He hadn't seen anything in Isaac to indicate that he was or would become violent.

Isaac didn't act any differently at school, except for one thing. He let Ethan get closer than he had before. Physically, at least. They didn't hold hands or kiss, but whenever they had a chance to sit next to each other Isaac would move his chair to be a little closer to Ethan, who had no objections to this change. They weren't on top of each other like he'd seen with other couples, including Scott and Allison on occasion, and he suspected that might be something Isaac would never really be comfortable with in public, but they did sit close enough that Ethan could rest his hand on Isaac's leg without anybody noticing. Isaac tensed up the first time that happened, but he didn't say anything or remove Ethan's hand so he knew it was fine.

Even though Isaac was bringing his own lunch now that he was living with the McCalls, Ethan still got a little extra food to give to him every day and Isaac always gave him a small smile and thanked him. It wasn't necessary for him to do it anymore, but he felt like someone needed to look out for Isaac even if his life seemed to be getting better. With each day that went by, it seemed to Ethan that it was getting more and more likely that Isaac was becoming a permanent guest at Scott's house. Not that he ever heard Scott complain.

As the week progressed, Ethan tried to think of a good first date for Isaac, in between classes and homework and lacrosse and the ongoing competition between Aiden and Jackson to win over Lydia which alternated between amusing and annoying to watch. Ethan had the distinct impression that Lydia still had some strong feelings for Jackson, but the revelation that he had known about the abuse Isaac suffered through and said nothing must have caused some friction or distance between them. He wasn't about to do anything except sit back and watch. Aiden's love life, successful or not, was his own business.

By Wednesday, he was starting to go around in circles thinking about what the best first date with Isaac might be. Every time he thought he'd settled on an idea doubts started to creep up, like if he was going for something too sentimental or not sentimental enough or if he was sure that taking Isaac to a club was a bad idea and so on. He kind of liked going to clubs every once in a while himself, but he could easily imagine Isaac either turning around and leaving the second he got in or being completely miserable the entire time but refusing to leave for Ethan's sake.

He wasn't able to think about it for long, at least not that morning, because he saw Danny coming up to him with a slightly confused look in his eyes as he said, "Hey. I'm sorry, but I'm not sure which twin you are."

That explained the confusion and Ethan grinned as he answered, "I'm Ethan. Were you looking for me or my brother?"

Danny had a sheepish smile on his face, "You, actually. I thought you'd be easier to talk to than Aiden, seeing as he'd probably think I was trying to help Jackson somehow."

He nodded in agreement, it was practically war between those two, "You're probably right."

Around them, other students walked by without seeming to notice them even though the two of them never talked. A result of how early it was, no doubt. The first class period hadn't even started yet.

"Do you have any idea why Lydia's acting weird lately? I mean, not really weird, just that all of a sudden she's not interested in being around Jackson anymore and she won't tell me why because she thinks I'll just run to Jackson and tell him."

Ethan nodded again, "I bet she thinks Jackson should know what he did. From what she told me, though, I'd bet Jackson doesn't have a clue what it is or even care about it that much except for his own inconvenience."

Danny frowned and looked like he wanted to object to that, but all he said was, "That seems a little harsh."

He glanced around to make sure Isaac wasn't close enough to overhear, but knowing how Scott and Stiles were the three of them probably wouldn't get to school until the minute before class started, "He deserves it. I don't know how good a friend Jackson is, but he doesn't seem to care when people who aren't his friends get abused."

Danny looked understandably shocked and confused, but Ethan didn't feel like enlightening him beyond that. If he wanted more he'd have to ask someone else. Ethan never liked talking about Jackson or even thinking about him. If Jackson were anything like Scott or Stiles, Isaac wouldn't have had to deal with his father's abuse for as long as he did. Instead Jackson just didn't care and Ethan wasn't about to forgive him for that. He had nothing against Danny, but he wasn't about to help Jackson in anyway. Plus, he didn't want to risk telling Danny the whole story and having Isaac hear it. He wanted something to work out positively in Isaac's life and he was afraid that if Isaac found out that he knew about the abuse it might create some distance between them.

So he headed off to class and hoped that Danny wouldn't press the issue.

* * *

By the end of lacrosse practice, he'd come to the decision that a meal and a movie were a safe bet for his first date with Isaac. He had to push back the desire for a perfect date and just remind himself to show Isaac a good time. Give him the opportunity to enjoy himself. Isaac certainly hadn't had many opportunities to have a little fun while his dad was around.

As usual, Isaac had gotten into the locker room and changed and left by the time Ethan walked through the door. He tried not to let himself feel frustrated by that. There was probably a good deal of crap that Isaac would be dealing with for a long time thanks to his dad. The one time Ethan had seen Isaac without a shirt on he'd seen scars marring pale skin and he could easily believe that Isaac didn't want anyone to see them. So he just changed quickly and hoped he'd be able to catch Isaac before he left.

It didn't take him long to find Isaac, thankfully, because he was waiting just a little way from the locker room, he was probably riding with Scott and Stiles again, and Ethan spoke first, "Hey, I was getting worried you'd left before I had a chance to talk."

He'd had a grin on his face as he said it and Isaac took it in the good humor that was intended and smiled back, "Well, as long as you're ready to go before Scott and Stiles it won't be hard to find me after practice."

He nodded and started walking through the school with the parking lot as his destination, hoping that no one would intrude on their conversation if they weren't just standing by the locker room, "I wanted to ask you something." When Isaac nodded, he continued, "How would you like to go out on a date Friday night?"

Isaac stopped short and stared for a few seconds, like he couldn't believe Ethan had just asked him that, "A date? With me? You want to take me on a date?"

Ethan couldn't help himself from grinning, but he did reach out and gently took Isaac's hand and got him walking again, "I told you, I'll do my best to show you a good time. I was thinking on Friday we could grab dinner and a movie. Maybe we could enjoy it a bit more without Scott and Stiles around."

Isaac grinned slightly, but Ethan could tell he was still having trouble believing what was happening. He could see it in Isaac's eyes. Which made him wonder if Isaac had ever seriously expected Ethan to ask him out. Or maybe Isaac had hoped he would but hadn't dared to believe it might happen until it actually did.

It took Isaac a few seconds to respond, but when he did he said, "I'd love to. Just … could we not go to a horror movie?"

He nodded quickly, "That doesn't seem like good first date material to me anyway. Who wants to be scared out of their mind on their first date? I know I don't."

That got Isaac to smile again as they began debating a good place to eat before the movie. They settled on a Mexican place that wasn't very far from the theater and then Ethan began pitching movies because when he'd asked Isaac if there was anything he really wanted to see Isaac had drawn a blank. Which kind of made sense, if he hadn't gone out much while his dad was still alive he could easily not know what movies were playing and that was something Ethan felt like rectifying. For now though, he just had to think of one. Something Isaac could enjoy. He decided to try Now You See Me and hoped Isaac would like it.

After Isaac just nodded and said he'd be okay with it, Ethan left him by Stiles' jeep and headed over to his motorcycle, which was on the other side of the parking lot. As he got close, he saw that someone was waiting for him and that someone was Danny. Ethan frowned, unsure what Danny might want to talk about now. At least he hadn't brought Jackson with him.

Once he got close enough for a conversation that didn't involve shouting, Danny spoke before Ethan had a chance to, "I've been thinking about what you said this morning and I think I know what you were talking about."

That really got his attention, "And what was that?"

Danny glanced over Ethan's shoulder, causing him to look back and see Scott and Stiles reaching the jeep and the two of them plus Isaac getting in, "Isaac. Jackson lives right across the street from him. If anybody we know was being abused and Jackson knew about it but didn't do anything about it, I'd guess it was Isaac."

He looked real sure of himself, Ethan could see it in his eyes so he didn't even bother denying it, but he waited until he saw Stiles' jeep pull out of the parking lot before he answered, "Alright, yes, Isaac's dad abused him and its messed him up. Just don't talk to him about it because he doesn't know that anyone else knows. Only Lydia, Aiden, and I know about it."

Danny nodded quickly, "Don't worry, I won't. But how did Lydia find out?"

"Do you remember that day during practice when Isaac knocked Jackson on his ass?" When Danny nodded, Ethan continued, "Apparently Jackson complained about it to Lydia and somehow mentioned abuse in passing so she decided to investigate."

"That sounds like Lydia. So she realized Jackson knew Isaac was being abused, but Jackson didn't say anything so she started rethinking the relationship."

He nodded, "Yeah, that seems about right. I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier. Its not your fault that Jackson can be a prick."

Danny looked like he felt obligated to object to his friend being called a prick, but after a second he just nodded, "Don't worry about it. I'm just glad to be in the loop. And that Isaac seems to like you. It was just sort of weird seeing him by himself all the time until you showed up. Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow."

Ethan nodded and watched for a few seconds as Danny walked away. Then he turned and got onto his motorcycle and headed back home. He had to admit he was actually kind of surprised by how nice Danny was considering his friendship with Jackson. But then he had to be nice if everyone liked him.

* * *

When Friday night came around, Ethan drove over to Scott's house to pick Isaac up. Isaac had insisted he could make it to the restaurant on his own, but Ethan had refused to budge. He wasn't about to let Isaac get to and from their date on his bike. It wasn't like Isaac had access to a car and Scott wasn't about to let Isaac take his new motorbike out by himself.

He was surprised to see Scott open the door, who smiled slightly as he saw Ethan standing there, "Hey, Isaac should be coming down any minute. He's a little nervous."

Ethan nodded, that wasn't a surprise, "Thanks. So what are you up to tonight?"

Scott shrugged, "Nothing much. My mom's working, you're taking Isaac out on a date, and Stiles refused to tell me what he's doing so I'm guessing he's doing something with Derek."

He grinned and shook his head, Stiles was really secretive when it came to his relationship with Derek, "You're probably right. Sorry to leave you stuck on your own tonight."

"Don't worry about it. This week has been pretty busy, you know, homework and lacrosse and work, so its nice to have a chance to relax."

Before he had a chance to respond, Isaac came up behind Scott and quietly spoke, "Hey, I didn't keep you waiting, did I?"

Ethan shook his head quickly, he really didn't want to start off the date with Isaac feeling like he was disappointing, "Not at all. You ready to go?" At Isaac's nod, he took a step back, "Let's get going then."

Isaac followed him out and slipped his arms around Ethan's waist as he sat behind him on the motorcycle. He tried not to think about that too much as he drove, knowing that anyone riding with him would be holding onto him like that. Plus tonight was supposed to be about showing Isaac a good time, not getting physical. So he stayed focused on the road and was thankful that there weren't any clouds in the sky. Driving through the rain wasn't something he enjoyed and having Isaac along for that wouldn't make him feel any better.

It didn't take them long to make it to the restaurant and get their food. It was a little awkward at first because Isaac was nervous and didn't know what to say. Ethan was pretty sure Isaac also wanted to avoid saying the wrong thing, but he needed to get Isaac to relax. So he started talking about the food and then lacrosse and slowly Isaac calmed down. Stopped being so worried about everything that might go wrong that he finally was able to start enjoying his meal.

As they were finishing, Isaac suddenly sat up straighter and he had a slight smile on his face, which prompted Ethan to ask, "What?"

Isaac's smile grew, "You know how Stiles doesn't like talking about Derek?"

Ethan frowned, wondering what had brought that on, "Yeah, why?"

"They're sitting a few tables over."

Ethan turned in his seat and saw that Isaac was right. Sitting in a corner table were Derek and Stiles. Stiles was talked in his usual enthusiastic fashion while the two of them ate, but Derek was practically glowering. Not at Stiles, but at the entire restaurant. Although he would glance back at Stiles every few seconds and that glare of his would noticeably soften. Then he would go right back to glaring at the entire restaurant.

Ethan grinned, amused at how unhappy Derek looked to be eating dinner with Stiles, then turned back to Isaac, "I wonder if that's why Stiles doesn't want anyone to see Derek. He looks like he'd rather be anywhere but here."

Isaac nodded, smile still on his lips, "Does he ever look happy? Maybe Stiles saw him smile once and tries to make him smile again."

It was unusual to see Isaac excited like this and Ethan loved getting a chance to see this side of Isaac, "Or maybe he just likes seeing Derek look miserable."

That got him a chuckle from Isaac, "Maybe. Stiles can be a little odd sometimes."

Ethan settled back in his seat, happy just to see Isaac happy. It was a rare occurrence so he was going to treasure it. But not for long, he thought to himself after checking his watch. They needed to get over to the theater or they'd be late. So he paid for their food and got Isaac out of the restaurant and back on his motorcycle. The theater wasn't terribly crowded when they got there, a small mercy, and they got into their seats just before the movie started.

He'd seen Now You See Me once before, but it was such a good movie that it was hard for him to look away to see if Isaac was enjoying it. He grinned when he saw Isaac smiling and entranced by the movie. It looked like he'd made a good choice. Deciding to take a chance, he slowly took Isaac's hand in his own and his grin widened when Isaac didn't pull away.

He focused on the movie again, happy with what he'd gotten so far. Plus he didn't want to push his luck with Isaac. Ethan was often gently pushing Isaac, but he didn't want to push him too hard or too quickly. Isaac deserved someone who was patient enough to wait for him to be comfortable and gave him the time he needed to keep moving forward.

After the movie ended, they waited for everyone else to walk out before they stood up and left. Ethan kept a hold on Isaac's hand until he felt Isaac pulling away, just before they got to the hallway, and did his best not to let it get to him as he let Isaac's hand go without any fuss. Isaac was shy and didn't want to broadcast their relationship, especially when they had just started dating. So he stuck close enough to Isaac as they walked back to the parking lot so that it was clear they had come to the theater together, but not so close that people would automatically assume they were together romantically.

They didn't really talk on the way back to Scott's house, it certainly would've been difficult to hear each other, but he could tell that Isaac had enjoyed the movie. He'd seen it in Isaac's eyes. The drive back was over too quickly. Ethan wanted to keep the date going, think of something else for them to do, but before he could think of anything they were back in Scott's driveway.

As they got off the motorcycle, Ethan couldn't help but ask, "Did you have a good time tonight?"

Isaac smiled and ducked his head as he rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah, I did."

Ethan grinned and followed Isaac to the door and when Isaac looked at him with a question in his eyes Ethan calmly said, "What? I'm the one who took you out on the date, its my responsibility to make sure you get home safe. It is dark out, after all."

Isaac stopped when they reached the door and his smile faltered a little, like he was nervous about something, but before Ethan could say anything Isaac had leaned in close and kissed him. It was quick and chaste, little more than a peck on the lips, but it was definitely a kiss and Isaac was pulling away quickly, blushing furiously. He would've hurried back into the house too, but Ethan grabbed his wrist before he could get away. Then he gently pulled Isaac closer and gave him a kiss, slower and longer than the one Isaac had given him but not anywhere near make-out session length, as he wrapped his arms around Isaac's waist to keep him close.

When he pulled back, just enough so that he could see Isaac's face but not any further, he saw a relieved smile, "I'm glad you had fun tonight, Isaac."

Isaac was still blushing a little, but it seemed to be fading, "Thank you, really. No one's done this for me before."

His smile was probably getting a little smug as he said, "Let me know if you want to do it again sometime."

He kissed Isaac again before he had a chance to say anything, but it felt like it was over far too quickly when Isaac gently pushed him back, "Scott's going to wonder what we're doing if we keep doing this much longer."

Part of him wouldn't mind if Scott opened the door and saw them like this, but clearly Isaac didn't want that to happen so Ethan let go and took a step back, "Alright. I'll see you later then. Good night."

Isaac nodded and grabbed the doorknob, "Good night."

Ethan headed back to his motorcycle, glancing over his shoulder as he heard the door open and close. He smiled as he got on and drove away. The trick with Isaac, he knew, was knowing when to back off. When to give him his space. He wouldn't have been surprised if Isaac would've pulled back even if there weren't any lights on in the house. But that was fine, it didn't bother him at all because Isaac had kissed him first. He wasn't about to forget that anytime soon.


	16. Chapter 16

Ethan/Isaac

Author's Note: As always, reviews are appreciated and I hope you enjoy.

* * *

Aiden noticed his good mood as soon as he walked in the door, honestly Ethan would've been surprised if his brother hadn't noticed because he was still smiling, "I see your date went well."

He nodded, "Better than I expected, actually. A lot better."

Aiden grinned as they went upstairs, "See? I told you he was interested in you, but you didn't believe me."

Ethan shook his head, smile still on his face, "I thought you said he was the one giving me all those drawings, not that he was interested in me. Lydia was the one who said that."

Aiden nodded, "I know, we talked about that tonight. I only got back a few minutes ago. But I still say Isaac's the one giving you all those drawings."

They went into Ethan's room, they had separate rooms. It was a new thing for them because they had shared a room their entire lives and that only changed when they came to Beacon Hills. The reasons for the change were their different sexualities and the fact that they were both teenagers and their parents understood that teenagers had desires. How awkward would it be for them if they lived in the same room and one of them came home to find the other in bed with a girlfriend or boyfriend? Ethan certainly didn't want to see Aiden like that and he was sure Aiden didn't want to see him like that either.

As their argument about the drawings, most of which were up on Ethan's bulletin board on the wall above his desk, had become an old one, he decided to ask, "How'd your date go? Make any progress with Lydia?"

His brother nodded and grinned smugly, "We both enjoyed ourselves. I bet we went a lot farther than you and Isaac did."

He rolled his eyes at that, Aiden was always good at getting into a girl's pants and he had a look in his eyes that he only had after sex, "I don't need the details, but I'm sure you did. Congratulations."

Aiden chuckled and sat on the bed while Ethan took the desk chair, "You may not need the details, but I want some. Is Isaac still skittish or does he let you in close now? Did you even hold hands yet?"

Ethan resisted the urge to roll his eyes again, Aiden was incorrigible, "Both and yes. I'm not sure he'll ever not be skittish after what happened to him, but he's letting me get close and, before you ask exactly how far we got, we kissed. That's as far as we went."

"Good for you, both of you." Ethan just looked at him, waiting for him to say more because there was usually some punch line or snarky comment or something after Aiden said that, but his brother just raised his eyebrows, "What? I'm serious. Its not like I've missed that Isaac has issues to deal with or that he'll never win a popularity contest. You like him, he likes you, and you're good for him. Take all the time you need."

Ethan settled back in his chair, honestly surprised at Aiden's words. Usually his brother was all about getting to the sex and letting the relationship grow from there, if at all. Ethan preferred to go about it the other way around. So Aiden encouraging him to take his time with Isaac was unusual. Then again, it wasn't like Ethan had dated anyone like Isaac in the past.

The thought crossed his mind that it was a little presumptuous of him to assume that Isaac and he were dating, as in more than one date and throwing around the term 'boyfriend.' But he dashed that thought away as quickly as it came. Isaac wasn't about to go looking for someone else, it had been clear that he'd enjoyed himself and it wasn't like anyone was as close to him as Ethan was. He doubted that they would suddenly be a couple and walk around school holding hands and claim each other as boyfriends, but they were moving in that direction.

"You should ask him about the drawings, then you'll know for sure that he did them."

He shook his head, "Aiden, no, I'm not going to do that. Maybe Isaac did draw them, but if I ask him about it and he's not the one doing them then he'll worry that he's keeping me away from someone who is easier to be with."

Aiden raised his hands in surrender and got up, "Alright, I still think your mystery artist is Isaac, but you seem to get him better than anyone else."

With that, he walked out and probably went back to his own room, but Ethan didn't pay attention after Aiden was out in the hallway. He also didn't say anything because he knew Aiden always wanted to get the last word in a conversation and he didn't want to accidentally start an argument. Instead he was focused on the drawings he'd been given and wondered if maybe Aiden was right. If maybe Isaac could be the one who had given them to him. But he didn't think so, Isaac was so skittish that Ethan didn't expect him to be able to sneak something into someone's locker, especially during the school day.

He was still in a good mood when he finally went to bed for the night.

* * *

Ethan didn't see Isaac at all over the weekend. They had tests coming up and they could use all the time they could get to study, what with lacrosse and work keeping them busy outside of normal school hours. Despite all the studying, though, he was able to keep his good mood through the weekend. The reason for his good mood was a text he'd received from Scott Saturday afternoon.

It read: _Hey, don't know what you and Isaac did last night but he's been smiling all day._

* * *

As he'd expected, when they went back to school on Monday he wasn't suddenly holding hands with Isaac in the hallways or acting any more like a couple than he and Isaac had on Friday. It didn't bother him at all. He knew it had only been one date with Isaac, it wasn't like they were going to be all over each other like Scott and Allison usually were.

Isaac was a little awkward around him whenever they had a chance to talk, which was new but Ethan figured that he was just unsure how to act around the guy he'd gone on a date with. Neither of them had specified what they wanted or if anything else was going to happen between them. He knew, however, that they both easily saw that more was coming. They weren't about to stop after one date. So Ethan did his best to help Isaac ease back into his comfort zone or as close to it as he could get at school. Thankfully, it didn't seem to take very long.

But by the end of the school day neither of them had really talked about their date or what they expected or wanted from each other. It made Ethan nervous for all of the two seconds it took him to realize that if anyone was going to be starting that conversation it was going to be him, not Isaac. Isaac may have been the one who instigated their first kiss, but Ethan had been the driving force behind everything else between them.

So when he saw that Scott had forgotten to take his math book home with him after lacrosse practice, which he knew Scott would need because they had an assignment due the next day which neither of them had started yet, he knew he'd found the perfect excuse to talk to Isaac. It didn't take long for him to get to Scott's house, but when he did he was surprised when Isaac answered the door instead of Scott or his mom.

Seeing his surprise, Isaac was quick to offer an explanation, "Scott's over at Stiles' house and Ms. McCall is working. I could tell them you were here if you want."

Ethan couldn't help the slight grin, Isaac was always polite, and held up Scott's math book, "I came by to drop this off since Scott forget it at school, but I was actually hoping that you and I would have a chance to talk a little."

Isaac nodded and stepped back to let him in, looking a little nervous as he did so, "Sure, uh, what did you want to talk about?"

He headed up to Scott's room as he answered, "Just wanted to make sure we're both on the same page."

When he didn't get a response he glanced back at Isaac and he could tell from the look on Isaac's face that he knew exactly what Ethan meant. He quickly tossed Scott's math book onto his bed before the two of them headed to Isaac's room and Ethan was grateful the McCalls had had a guest room ready when Isaac moved in. Isaac's room was a little bare of personal touches and that was the first thing Ethan noticed as he walked in. Scott's room made it very clear that someone had been living there for a long time and that they weren't about to leave anytime soon. Isaac's room gave Ethan the impression that if necessary Isaac could pack up and leave within an hour. There was a laptop on the desk and a few books on the bookshelf, but nothing else to really give any indication that someone used the room every day. There were no posters on the walls or clothes strewn about on the floor or soda cans on the desk. Instead everything was neat and tidy like Isaac was worried that he might get in trouble for having a messy room or something.

One of the only things visible to hint at Isaac living in that room was what looked to be a sketchbook laying open on the bed, "I didn't know you could draw."

Isaac glanced back at him then down at the sketchbook on the bed, blushing slightly, "Yeah, I don't really tell anyone about that."

Seeing that Isaac wasn't exactly moving to hide it or block him from getting at it, Ethan went over and picked the sketchbook up to look at the page it was open to, "This is pretty good. Why wouldn't you want anyone to know about this?"

Isaac hesitated a bit before sitting down next to Ethan, but he didn't make any moves toward the sketchbook, "Art isn't really, uh, something my father wanted me to get into. It was all about sports with him. If he ever found any of my artwork he'd rip it up and throw it away so I'd have to hide it whenever I drew something."

Ethan nodded and flipped through a few pages as he mentally added another thing to the list of reasons to hate Isaac's dad, but he didn't say anything about that instead he said, "There aren't that many in here."

He looked over to see Isaac shrug, "I only bought that about a week ago. If my dad ever found it he would've burned it, so I only ever drew on notebook paper. But now that he's gone I don't have to worry about it being ruined."

That comment about the notebook paper caused Ethan to frown. That and how Isaac always hid what he drew. Aiden was always saying that Isaac was the one giving him those drawings. He was starting to suspect that his brother had been right the entire time. When he got to the first page of the sketchbook and saw a few very well drawn wolves, he stopped and stared. They looked just like the drawings he kept finding in his locker, but just to be sure he pulled out the one he'd found today and unfolded it to see that he was right. They looked like they'd been drawn by the same person.

When he looked up at Isaac he immediately saw that Isaac had seen where his mind was going and that he was now blushing, "I, uh, didn't want to risk my dad finding them and I thought that, uh, with how nice you were to me all the time that I should thank you somehow. I understand if you didn't hold onto them, I mean I didn't even sign them or tell you that I was the person behind the drawings."

A smile grew on Ethan's lips because that explanation was exactly what he'd expect from Isaac and it made the fact that Isaac was his mystery artist easier to digest, he was used to seeing Isaac a little nervous, "Actually, I kept every drawing you gave me. I'm just surprised that it was you."

Isaac's mouth hung open for a few seconds, like he couldn't process the information he'd just been given, "You kept them?"

He nodded, "I did, they're really good."

Isaac still didn't seem to know how to react, but Ethan could see that it was really affecting him. Like he'd just been given a gift for no reason at all and didn't feel he deserved. Which made Ethan a little sad, that Isaac expected him to throw out the drawings, and a little determined as well. Determined to show Isaac the kindness he deserved until he realized it wasn't out of the ordinary for people to be nice to him.

He gently put his arm around Isaac's shoulders and pulled him close. Isaac came easily, laying his head on Ethan's shoulder, and Ethan was surprised at how easily he accepted so much contact. He was also a little surprised at how thin Isaac was. With him being on the lacrosse team, Ethan had expected to feel more muscle on him like how Scott and Danny and Aiden and Ethan himself were. Mentally he chalked it up to Isaac's crappy life while living with his dad, not getting enough to eat but enough that he didn't look like he was starving.

Isaac quietly spoke, "I've never really shown anyone before. I was just so scared all the time, that my dad might find out or that people would think they were stupid."

Ethan was quick to reassure him, "I meant it when I said these were good, Isaac. I could never do anything this good. Even the ones you slipped in my locker that you did with black pen. I have them on a bulletin board in my room."

Isaac lifted his head and slowly kissed him, which Ethan was perfectly happy with. Unlike after their date, this lasted for a few minutes and Ethan enjoyed every second of it. When Isaac pulled back they were both breathing heavily and Isaac was grinning a little. Ethan grinned right back, happy to see that Isaac was happy.

"Would you like them back? Now that you don't have to worry about your dad destroying them."

Isaac shook his head quickly, "No, you keep them. But, uh, you wanted to talk about us?"

Ethan nodded and carefully set the sketchbook aside, making sure he didn't accidentally bend or fold any pages, "Yeah, I wanted to make sure you knew this wasn't a one-time thing. I'll stick around if you want to keep going."

A grin appeared on Isaac's lips, "Of course I do. No one's ever treated me so well. The only people who come close are Scott and his mom and that's definitely not the same as you."

He grinned back and gave Isaac a quick kiss before saying, "Good, I really didn't like the idea of stopping."


	17. Chapter 17

Ethan/Isaac

Author's Note: Reviews are appreciated and I hope you enjoy.

* * *

Ethan knew he'd made a connection with Isaac, or deepened one that already existed, when he told him he'd kept the drawings Isaac had been giving him. But at school it was like nothing had changed between them, not that Ethan was going to complain. He knew Isaac wanted to avoid any unnecessary pain if it was possible so he wasn't about to walk around hand in hand with someone just it case it didn't work out.

But when he sat down next to Isaac at lunch, Isaac didn't hunch over his notebook like he usually did, actually it was more like he was leaning over it so that only Ethan could see what he was doing. Which finally gave Ethan a chance to see what he was actually working on and when he did he almost laughed, except he didn't want to draw everyone's attention. For Isaac's sake, because Isaac was drawing in his notebook and probably had been everyday at lunch.

As soon as he was done eating, Ethan placed his hand on Isaac's thigh. Isaac glanced up at him and smiled before focusing on his drawing again. Ethan tried to contain his own smile because, while the rest of the table was deep in conversation, someone might see it and pester the two of them with a ton of questions. When he looked back at his friends, he saw that Scott had noticed their little exchange and was smiling a little, but didn't say anything. Instead he turned back toward Stiles and began trying to rein in his rant about some new video game he was excited about.

Ethan began thinking about what he could do with Isaac over the weekend, but at lacrosse practice Coach Finstock reminded them of the game over the weekend. The entire team would be taking a bus on Friday to where the game would be, spend the night in a hotel, play the game on Saturday, then take the bus back home. So he wouldn't be able to do anything special with Isaac on Friday night and Saturday night was uncertain.

But he did notice that after Coach Finstock said they'd be two to a room Isaac started getting a little antsy. He wasn't sure why having to room to someone would cause that reaction, but he immediately decided that he'd be rooming with Isaac that night. Hopefully his presence would make Isaac more comfortable than if he'd be rooming with someone else. It would leave Aiden to deal with some random member of the team since Ethan was sure that Scott and Stiles would be staying in the same room, but as long as it wasn't Jackson Ethan wouldn't hear his brother complain that much.

It wasn't until after practice was over that Ethan got a chance to talk to Isaac, because Scott and Stiles continued to insist on giving him a ride so Isaac had to wait for the two of them everyday, and thankfully the hallway was empty of any other students, "Hey, Isaac. I couldn't help but notice that you seemed a little tense when Coach said that we'd all be two to a room."

Isaac nodded and glanced around quickly before stuffing his hands in his pockets and leaning back against a wall, "Yeah, its just, uh, I have nightmares sometimes and … they can get really bad and I don't want other people to find out."

Ethan was surprised at how quickly Isaac opened up about what was bothering him, but then again Isaac had called him when his dad died so maybe it wasn't that surprising, "Well, I was thinking that the two of us could room together if that makes you feel better. That way even if you do have a nightmare it'll only be me who knows."

His offer clearly surprised Isaac, but the taller boy reached up to rub at the back of his neck and his voice was a little more despondent than before, "You probably don't want to see me like that."

Taking a step forward, Ethan reached up to put a hand on Isaac's shoulder, "Hey, it doesn't matter. Yes, I'd rather not see you having nightmares, but its not about to scare me off or something. Maybe if I'm there I might be able to help somehow."

That got Isaac to look right at him, his surprise blatantly obvious and he didn't say anything for a moment as he processed what Ethan had just said, "Yeah, okay. That sounds great. But, uh, what about your brother?"

Ethan just shrugged, having thought of that already, "As long as he doesn't end up stuck with Jackson he'll be fine with it."

Isaac nodded, watching him carefully, "And you don't care about the nightmares? You really won't mind?"

"I won't mind at all."

That got another nod from Isaac, but this time it felt like Isaac was starting to believe him. Ethan really wanted to tell him that his nightmares were nothing to be ashamed of, especially if they stemmed from the abuse Isaac had been forced to put up with, but Isaac didn't know that Ethan knew so he couldn't really say anything. All he could do was promise that Isaac having nightmares wouldn't bother him and hope that Isaac would accept that.

It took a moment for Isaac to say something, Ethan had the feeling that Isaac liked to think out what he was going to say before actually saying it so he didn't end up saying something embarrassing, "Thank you, really. I was, uh, getting a little worried about who I'd have to room with. Scott and Stiles always stay with each other so."

He trailed off without finishing that thought, but he didn't have to. Ethan knew where it would've gone. Aside from all the anxiety that a nightmare brought on, having one in front of someone you barely knew was embarrassing. It would be even worse if that someone who saw the nightmare liked to gossip because then word would get around and the teasing would begin. Teenagers could be complete dicks at times.

Ethan nodded to show that he understood, but out of the corner of his eye he saw Scott and Stiles coming so he took a step back, "I'll see you tomorrow."

He headed off before Isaac had a chance to reply, but he knew that waiting for it wasn't necessary. It wasn't like he was giving Isaac a cold shoulder or anything, just that he wasn't being overly affectionate in public. He knew Isaac didn't want that, at least not yet, and that Isaac would understand what he was doing.

As he walked away, Ethan suddenly realized that a weekend dominated by an overnight trip and a lacrosse game didn't mean that he couldn't do anything with Isaac. Every hotel room he'd ever been in had a tv and plenty of them had dvd players too, so he could bring a few movies to show Isaac. The taller boy had mentioned how he hadn't kept up with movies for a while, probably a result of his dad. Isaac would probably enjoy it, unless Coach Finstock suddenly decided to dictate who roomed with who and forced the two of them to separate rooms.

* * *

A few days later the lacrosse team is on a bus, heading out to wherever for a game the next day. Ethan couldn't remember the name of the place they were going, he was sure Coach had mentioned it but the guy had a tendency to go on these strangely long and bizarre harangues at the drop of a hat and Ethan just sort of tuned them out now. He'd heard about the final game speech that was given every year, courtesy of Stiles, and he had to say he really hoped he didn't have to sit through that. What did the movie Independence Day have to do with lacrosse anyway? All he could say to that was that Isaac had been right, Coach Finstock was kind of nuts and Ethan honestly couldn't think of any better way to put it.

Ethan was sitting next to Isaac, who was currently asleep with his head on Ethan's shoulder, while Scott and Stiles were in the seat behind them. Aiden was sitting with Danny, of all people which seemed a little odd, across the aisle from Ethan and Jackson was sitting up near the front with Greenburg. Ethan wasn't sure who disliked that arrangement more, Jackson or Greenburg, but Danny very deliberately sat down next to Aiden as soon as he got on the bus and no amount of cajoling from Jackson could get him to move. Aiden had just smirked at Jackson, silently rubbing it in, as their co-captain had stomped back up to the front. Not that Ethan believed Danny was turning his back on Jackson, the two seemed to be real close, but he honestly wasn't sure what was going through Danny's head.

Isaac's head on his shoulder hadn't been something Ethan had planned for or expected or even thought to hope for before getting on the bus that afternoon. But as soon as the bus had gotten moving Isaac had tiredly explained that he'd been up most of the night, accidentally, because he'd had a flash of inspiration and had wanted to draw while the image was still fresh and clear in his mind. That had taken a couple hours or so and when Isaac had been satisfied with his artwork he'd realized he still had a lot of homework to do, which had taken a couple more hours and by the time Isaac had gone to bed it had been, apparently, around three in the morning. Not that Ethan had a problem with being Isaac's pillow for a little while. Thankfully, no one commented on it, most or all of the team had by now realized that Ethan and Isaac were good friends.

With Isaac catching up on some sleep, Ethan focused on the conversation behind him where Stiles was, finally, opening up a bit about Derek, "I mean, he's a great guy and everything, but his family makes me nervous. His uncle seriously gives me the creeps and every time he talks its like he's trying to piss Derek off and I'm not sure but he may or may not have killed people. I don't know, he was being really cryptic and Derek kicked him out within five minutes of him showing up."

Ethan hoped that stuff about Derek's uncle could be chalked up to Stiles' ADHD and wild imagination. Or Derek's uncle being in the military or the police or something like that. Scott was probably just as surprised as he was, but for once Stiles wasn't talking very loudly. Ethan wouldn't have heard him if he'd been talking with Isaac. Regardless, Stiles kept on going before Scott could interrupt.

"And then there's his sister, Cora, who just sort of decided to come to Beacon Hills after being away for years and apparently without even mentioning to Derek that she was coming. I was at his loft and then there's this knock on the door and there she is. That was so awkward and it totally ruined our plans and every time we're in the same room together she gives me the evil eye. I mean, she's not as creepy as Peter, but she's never happy about anything."

Ethan kind of wanted to laugh because it sounded like Stiles was going to have a lot to deal with if he kept going with Derek. Peter the possible people-killer and Cora with her apparently perpetual unhappiness. Which begged the question of what things had been like for that family growing up. Isaac smiled and was happy at times despite what had happened to him.

But that also brought another question to mind, "Is Derek ever happy about anything?"

That question very abruptly brought Stiles' rant to a stop and Ethan could feel the glare being directed at the back of his head. He was sure Stiles would've smacked him or something, except Isaac would've felt it too and Stiles never seemed to like the idea of collateral damage.

Instead of Stiles, however, the next person who spoke was Scott, sounding very surprised, "You've met Derek? When?"

Ethan's first instinct was to shake his head, but he stopped himself because he really didn't want to disturb Isaac, "I've never met him, actually, but Isaac and I saw him last Friday. Him and Stiles were at the same restaurant we were at and Derek looked like he hated just being there."

Stiles spoke next, his irritation very clear in his voice, "Yes, Derek is happy sometimes. I've seen him happy, just like I'm sure you've seen Isaac happy but the rest of us haven't. He was just pissed that our waitress kept trying to flirt with him and there was cilantro on his food even though he'd asked for no cilantro."

Scott was, as usual, quick to offer a sympathetic word or two, "Sorry, man."

Ethan was in agreement with Scott, that sucked to have someone hitting on your date. Or being hit on while on a date with someone else. He hoped that he'd never have to deal with either of those problems, although it probably a bit more obvious with him and Isaac that they were together in a romantic sense. Derek was old enough to be mistaken for an adult relative or family friend or something. Which might have been the case with that waitress.

Still, "You should take a picture the next time you get Derek to smile. Then we'll know he's a happier person than Cora."

"How about this? I'll send you a picture of Derek smiling if you send me one of Isaac smiling."

Ethan rolled his eyes, there was no way he was doing that. Isaac probably wouldn't want to pose for a picture or have one taken of him without his knowledge. Not for a trade, at least. Stiles was probably betting on that. If Stiles wanted to keep secrets about Derek, fine. He could do that. Ethan just didn't understand why Stiles was so concerned about keeping Derek to himself. But whatever Stiles' motivation for the secrecy about Derek, Ethan was willing to let it go if it mattered that much to Stiles.

"Fine, you win."

He could hear the satisfaction in Stiles' voice as he spoke, "Good. Now, who do you think has a better chance with Lydia? Jackson or Aiden?"

Apparently that love triangle was becoming an interesting topic around school because Ethan couldn't remember a time when Stiles had seriously been interested in the school's idle gossip. Usually Stiles talked about movies, video games, tv shows, and random things he'd found on the internet. It was very rare for him to be openly discussing school gossip. Maybe Stiles was interested because Aiden was a friend, but Ethan wondered sometimes how things worked in Stiles' head.

He didn't answer right away, not wanting to wake Isaac up and honestly he was kind of surprised that Isaac hadn't been bothered by the conversation at all, and Scott took the opportunity to jump in, "From what Allison's told me, it sounds like Lydia's more likely to end up with Aiden."

Stiles didn't wait for Ethan to give his opinion. Instead he launched into his own reasoning as to why Jackson wasn't good enough for Lydia and how Aiden was clearly the better choice. Ethan was fine with just listening to that conversation, mostly because he didn't want to disturb Isaac, but it was kind of surprising how much thought Stiles had put into this. It probably had something to do with how obsessive he'd been about Lydia before Derek had caught his eye. Regardless, Ethan was able to tune out that discussion after a few minutes and laid his head back against the seat to get a little rest, just in case Isaac did end up having a nightmare and waking him up in the middle of the night.

* * *

As things worked out, Ethan was able to room with Isaac but Scott and Stiles weren't so lucky. Apparently they'd gotten into trouble at a previous away game or had somehow pissed off Coach Finstock, either way it was a story Ethan was interested in hearing. Scott ended up rooming with Aiden, which everyone was fine with, but Stiles ended up with Danny and Danny really looked like he wanted to switch with literally anyone. Unfortunately for Danny there was no arguing with Coach Finstock.

As soon as Ethan and Isaac had gotten to their room, because it was getting late by the time they'd stopped to eat dinner and gotten to the hotel with the instructions of causing no trouble at all and having no one extra in their hotel rooms in the morning, Isaac dropped his bag on one of the beds and quietly said, "The last time Coach let Scott and Stiles room together we almost got kicked out of the hotel."

Ethan's brows rose and his mind immediately started thinking up scenarios as to what might have happened to cause that, "How did that happen?"

Isaac shrugged and sat down on his bed, looking up at Ethan who was standing near the tv, "I'm not sure. I was in a different room and then there was just this great big noise. Everyone came out of their rooms to see what was going on, but all we saw was Coach yelling at Scott and Stiles before he had to talk the hotel into not kicking us out. I'm still not sure how he managed to do that."

While that answer was vague and unsatisfying, Ethan didn't ask for more. Isaac wasn't about to lie to him about that. It wasn't like Isaac had said anything that seemed out of character for him. Ethan could easily imagine Isaac in his own room minding his own business before hearing whatever had caused that commotion and going out into the hallway to investigate. But he decided to put that out of his mind for awhile.

"Well, hopefully since they're not in the same room this time we won't have to worry about Stiles and Scott's antics. Did you have any plans for tonight?" When Isaac just shrugged like he didn't have anything serious in mind, Ethan continued, "Good, I was thinking we could watch a few movies. You know, help you get caught up on what's current."

Isaac didn't say anything, but Ethan figured that Isaac pushing his bag off the bed and laying back while maintaining a good view of the tv was answer enough. Ethan quickly dug through the movies he'd brought and decided to start with RED, which he could follow with RED 2 if Isaac liked the first one. He'd thought about bringing the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean, but it would be better to start from the beginning and watching all four would take too long at this point.

So he put the movie in and got comfortable, hoping that Isaac would enjoy it.

They made it through RED and RED 2, but by the end of the second movie Ethan could see that Isaac had been struggling to stay awake so Ethan had decided to call it a night. It seemed that nap on the bus could only sustain Isaac for so long. But Ethan fell asleep pretty quickly too after he got in bed.

* * *

He wasn't sure how long he'd been asleep when he was awoken by crying out. Sensing more than seeing that Isaac was sitting up in his bed and hearing him breathing heavily, Ethan reached over to turn one of the lights next to his bed. As soon as his eyes adjusted, he saw that Isaac was a mess, wide-eyed and trembling and probably feeling embarrassed on top of whatever else was going through his head thanks to that nightmare. After laying there for a minute or two just in case Isaac felt like talking, which was doubtful, or in case someone else had been woken up in a different room and decided to investigate, he slowly got out of bed and sat down next to Isaac.

Slowly, so Isaac could pull away if he wanted, Ethan took his hand and softly asked, "I don't suppose you want to talk about it?"

Isaac shook his head, looking down at his lap instead of at Ethan, "I'd rather not."

He nodded, not surprised by that answer, and instead of trying to find out what Isaac's nightmare had been about he asked, "Anything I can do?"

Isaac took a deep breath and shook his head again, but it looked like he was calming down a bit from the nightmare, "No, I'll be fine. I'm sorry for waking you."

Ethan just gave him a look, "Isaac, I'm not concerned about losing a little sleep. I'm concerned about you having nightmares and trying to prevent another one. Is there anything you do to prevent them?"

Isaac just sighed and ran a hand through his curls, "No. I have no idea how. Whenever I do have a nightmare, though, its usually, uh, just the one."

He didn't miss the fact that Isaac had said 'usually' which meant there was the possibility of this happening again after they went back to sleep. He wasn't all that eager to be woken up again and he was sure Isaac liked the idea of another nightmare even less than he did. There was only one thing that Ethan could think of to help Isaac sleep soundly through the night, but he wasn't sure if Isaac would go for it.

"You know, when my brother and I were younger we'd sleep in the same bed if one of us had a nightmare. Maybe that might help."

It was easy to see that Isaac was surprised by the idea, probably more from the idea of the physical intimacy than anything else, and he mulled it over for a minute before slowly nodding, "Yeah, sure."

Ethan smiled softly before turning off the light and slipping in beside Isaac. He knew it was a sign of how much progress he'd made with Isaac, how much Isaac trusted him, that Isaac had agreed to let Ethan sleep in the same bed as him. Isaac turned onto his side and Ethan put an arm around his waist, pressing up close behind him so that Isaac would have that constant reminder that Ethan was there for him in case he started having another nightmare. So focused on helping Isaac with his nightmare as he was, Ethan only realized that he had Isaac in his arms a few seconds before he fell asleep. He would've loved to have time to really enjoy that, but he was asleep too quickly.

In the morning he'd regret not being aware of that earlier, but honestly he'd be happy if Isaac slept through the rest of the night without another nightmare. Isaac was asleep again more quickly than Ethan, but he didn't last much longer. Ethan's last coherent thought was how he really hoped no one walked in the next morning and saw the two of them in bed together, Isaac would be so embarrassed.


	18. Chapter 18

Ethan/Isaac

Author's Note: As always, reviews are appreciated and I hope you enjoy. Also, any little typos or missing words or whatnot are my fault as I do not have a beta. I like posting these chapters as soon as they are finished so that I don't keep people waiting.

* * *

Isaac didn't wake up again until the morning, after Ethan had gotten up and taken a shower. He had to reassure Isaac several times that he didn't need to be embarrassed nor did he need to apologize for having a nightmare. It took a little while, and a few kisses, for Isaac to calm down and accept that he hadn't inconvenienced Ethan at all. Honestly, he'd enjoyed being in bed with Isaac more than sleeping in a separate one. When Isaac went to take a shower, Ethan went down for breakfast after leaving a note behind for him.

He was glad that the hotel provided a free breakfast, but then again he doubted that the school would've sent their team to a hotel and forced everyone to fend for themselves when it came to food. Not without prior warning at least. When he got to the lobby where the food was, he saw that only one other member of the team was there and it was Danny. Who, surprisingly, didn't look nearly as irritated as Ethan had expected him to be. So after he'd filled up a plate and grabbed some orange juice he made his way over to Danny's table.

As soon as he sat down, he asked, "So what was it like rooming with Stiles?"

Danny grinned a little and shook his head, like he couldn't quite believe it himself, "Actually not that bad. I expected him to be totally obnoxious, but he spent most of his time on his computer. The only time we really talked was when he asked for my advice on dating. At first I thought he was joking, but then he told me he had a boyfriend and that he wanted to avoid doing something stupid."

Ethan nodded as he ate, trying to stop himself from grinning, "Its true, actually, I've seen the guy. What did you tell Stiles?"

Danny shrugged, "Basic stuff, really. Like treating him like a guy, not a girl. Remembering important dates if things last that long, remembering what he likes and doesn't like. You know, basics. But Stiles seemed satisfied with what I said. Its not like I could offer much more than that."

"You'd need to know the guy first. I'm glad Stiles didn't bother you too much, yesterday you looked like you would've done anything to stay in a different room."

Danny mulled over his thoughts for a few seconds before answering, "Yeah, like I said it wasn't what I expected. But how did things go with Isaac? The two of you seem to be getting pretty close."

Ethan shrugged, "Not as good as it could've been, but not bad either."

"That's it? You aren't going to say any more than that?"

He shook his head with a slight grin, "That's it. Isaac's kind of private and I'll leave it at that."

Danny sighed and shook his head, but Ethan could tell he wasn't all that put out. Even if he had been, Ethan wouldn't have given him any details. He hadn't been kidding when he said that Isaac was a private person and he wasn't about to tell others things that Isaac would rather keep hidden. Waking up in the middle of the night from a nightmare, which was probably a result of his father's abuse, and falling asleep in another guy's arms wasn't something Isaac wanted other people to know, Ethan was sure of that. Not that he thought Isaac was worried about people judging him on his sexuality, rather he would probably feel embarrassed that he needed help sleeping though the night.

Even if he'd felt like talking about it, Ethan wouldn't have had the chance because Isaac came into the lobby at that moment and looked around for him before going to get his own food. When he looked back at Danny, he could see that Danny knew the window for that conversation had closed. Danny got up from the table, he'd been done with his breakfast for a few minutes anyway, and headed back up to his room. Isaac sat down next to Ethan, a small smile on his face in way of greeting and Ethan smiled back. They talked a little bit about the coming lacrosse game until Scott and Stiles showed up and joined them. As things usually went, Stiles dominated the conversation as soon as he joined it. Isaac leaned back and just listened to the conversation. Ethan jumped in every now and then, but mostly he let Stiles ramble.

* * *

They ended up winning the lacrosse game, but only barely. Their team played well, except for when Aiden and Jackson were trying to show each other up which caused some easy goals to be missed and a few goals to be scored on their team as well. Coach Finstock was pissed and Ethan was glad it wasn't aimed at him because however scrambled the Coach's brain might be he remembered which number belonged to Aiden and which number belonged to Ethan. Coach might not have be aware of what exactly was causing the rivalry between Aiden and Jackson, but he wasn't blind to its consequences.

Jackson was now on thin ice in Coach's eyes and Ethan wouldn't be surprised if Jackson lost his place as co-captain if he and Aiden did a repeat performance next game. Aiden would be able to keep his spot on the team without much concern, he was one of the better players on the team and he wasn't one of the co-captains. Coach Finstock cared too much about winning to bench any of his best players. Ethan couldn't help but wonder if Aiden was riling Jackson up and make him lose his co-captaincy. It wouldn't really surprise him.

On the bus ride home Isaac stayed awake and Scott and Stiles studied for the SAT in the seat behind them. Ethan asked Isaac about his plans for what was left of the weekend. They would get back to Beacon Hills in time for dinner, so they had the opportunity to come up with some quick plans for a date. But Isaac just shook his head.

"I've, uh, actually got something I need to do. Someone took over the cemetery and they're willing to let me keep working there, but I have to go over there tonight for a couple hours. Sorry."

Ethan shrugged, "Don't worry, its alright. This new boss will pay you better right?"

Isaac nodded, "Yeah. I probably won't be going over there every day like when my father was in charge, but I'll get paid decently this time."

"Glad to hear it. But if Saturday is out, what about Sunday? Have any free time then?"

Isaac shrugged, starting to look a little uncomfortable, "I'm not sure. I have homework to do and there's a quiz coming up in chemistry that I should study for. Maybe we could, uh, do it some other time?"

Ethan nodded quickly and laid a hand on Isaac's leg. He could see that he was starting to make Isaac nervous by pushing for a date and the last thing he wanted to do was make Isaac uncomfortable. He wanted things to go easily between him and Isaac, but he had to remember that it wasn't always going to be easy and quick. Isaac needed his space.

"Yeah, sure. No problem at all. I just wanted the two of us to have a little fun."

He could feel Isaac relax a little under his hand, but the hand that reached up to rub the back of Isaac's neck told him that Isaac wasn't completely calm yet, "Yeah, but, uh, I thought we did have fun last night. I enjoyed the movies and, uh, I really appreciate what you did, but I didn't really want you to see me like that."

Comprehension hit Ethan hard. He just hoped he wasn't gaping like an idiot. While he was pretty sure that Isaac's nightmare was a result of his abuse and he'd thought of that almost immediately, it hadn't occurred to him that Isaac would be uncomfortable with him knowing about it. It seemed Ethan had been taking the progress he'd made for granted and just assumed that Isaac was going to be completely open and comfortable with him. Which was expecting too much of Isaac.

Ethan saw that now was one of the times when he needed to back off and let Isaac have his space, "I'm sorry, I didn't realize. How about we plan for next weekend and you tell me if your work schedule interferes with that?"

That finally got Isaac to relax and nod, "I can do that."

Ethan nodded and decided to change the subject. Conversations about school, classes, homework, and that sort of thing were easy and Ethan was fairly confident that it would help Isaac remain comfortable. The taller boy wasn't much of a talker, but Ethan wanted to avoid that awkward lapse in conversation when everyone struggled to think of something to say. Plus Stiles wasn't going to help because he was helping Scott study for the SAT in the seat behind them and Aiden was keeping out of Ethan's relationship with Isaac unless specifically asked for his involvement. Thankfully, the rest of the ride back to Beacon Hills went without anymore serious discomfort on Isaac's part.

* * *

The next few days went by without anything unusual going on. Ethan sat next to Isaac at lunch and he'd get a chance to see Isaac working on a drawing as they all talked and ate. Lacrosse practices were getting a bit more tense with the continuing love triangle of Aiden, Jackson, and Lydia playing out, but neither Aiden nor Jackson seemed willing to be as blunt as they had been before. Not on the field, at least. Stiles remained tight-lipped about Derek, Scott was still head over heels in love with Allison, and Lydia remained unflappable.

But as the first few days of the week went by, Ethan started to worry a little bit that Isaac was pulling away. It wasn't that Isaac was speaking to him any less or that they were having some kind of fight or something like that. It felt more like Isaac was preoccupied by something and whenever Ethan asked him about it Isaac gave a very short and guarded answer. Part of him felt like he was being silly for worrying, it wasn't like they'd gone on a lot of dates so they weren't ending a long relationship. But he could tell when something was bothering Isaac and something was definitely bothering him.

So when he got a text from Isaac on Wednesday night asking if he could come over to the cemetery, because Isaac was finishing up a shift and wanted some privacy, Ethan responded so quickly it was almost embarrassing. Except it was Isaac who hadn't had a real friend in years and he knew Isaac saw him as a little more than just a friend so he wasn't going to leave Isaac waiting. So he hopped on his motorcycle and headed over there. He didn't see Isaac right away and was about to send him a text asking where in the cemetery he was supposed to go until he realized that if Isaac was done working he'd probably be hanging out around his family's graves. Which was admittedly a little morbid, but it didn't strike Ethan as troubling in any way. If it was Scott or Stiles he might be a little worried, but not Isaac.

His hunch was proven correct when he made his way over to the Lahey graves and found Isaac standing there, "Hey." When Isaac didn't respond, he slowly asked, "Everything alright?"

Isaac took a deep breath and looked at him, but didn't turn to face him, "I, uh, wanted to say that I'm sorry … if I'm being difficult."

Ethan frowned, he hadn't been expecting to hear that, "What makes you say that?"

"Look, I know that my childhood wasn't like yours or Scott's or Stiles' or at all what people would consider normal. I didn't want anyone to know about it, about how crappy my life was, except … I keep having these nightmares and you know about them and Scott and Melissa know about them, too. Plus, I've been talking to Ms. Morrell ever since my dad died and she thinks that if you really care as much as you seem to then it might be a good thing to let someone else know so I don't have to deal my issues by myself."

Ethan took a couple steps closer and gently took Isaac's hand in his own, it was clear from Isaac's voice that he was feeling conflicted about whatever this was and Ethan wanted to provide what comfort he could, "Isaac, if you don't want to tell me, you don't have to."

Isaac shook his head, "I'm not really sure that I want to, but Ms. Morrell has been pretty helpful so far and … I like us. Its just, uh, Ms. Morrell says I have a lot of scars and trauma from what I've, uh, had to live through and that it affects my behavior."

Ethan nodded, understanding where Isaac was going with this as the taller boy took a deep breath as he tried to collect himself, "You think she's right."

Isaac's eyes remained steadfast on his brother's tombstone, "I know she is. I keep having the same nightmares over and over again and … on Sunday Melissa wanted me and Scott to move this big old freezer chest up from the basement and have us help her get rid of it. As soon as I saw it I got scared and … I just couldn't touch it. The closer I got to it the more it felt like something bad was about to happen."

If he'd said he wasn't a little confused by this story, Ethan would've been a liar. But he knew there was a point to this and he wasn't about to interrupt Isaac. What he was clear on though was why Isaac had wanted to meet in the cemetery. It was private and Isaac wouldn't want just anyone to hear him spill closely kept secrets.

"Melissa didn't come down to help, but she didn't miss it when I ran back to my room and hid. She was concerned, so was Scott, but I just … I couldn't tell them. They're so nice, they shouldn't have to deal with all of my crap."

Isaac came to a stop and didn't seem to know exactly how he wanted to continue, so Ethan decided to try helping him along by gently asking, "What was it about the freezer chest that scared you so much?"

Isaac glanced at him then looked back at his brother's tombstone, "You remember how … when I thought my dad died I called you and asked you to come over? I was scared that he might not be dead, that he would just wake up and beat me again. Mom died when I was ten, Camden joined the military a couple years later and died about a year after that, and then when I was alone with my dad he would drink and beat me. He kept blaming me for … everything and he'd beat me for … just about anything."

Ethan squeezed his hand and, even though he felt kind of stupid for not being able to think of anything else, quietly said, "I'm so sorry."

Isaac sniffled, but his voice remained remarkably steady, "That wasn't even the worst part. At first I thought it couldn't get any worse than the beatings … until he took me down to the basement. We had this freezer chest that was always unplugged and, uh, sometimes my dad would force me into it and lock it. No matter how hard I tried I could never get out and every time it happened I kept wondering if that was the time my dad wouldn't let me out again. If I would just run out of air and die in there. So I, uh, hoped that whenever my dad was mad at me it would just be a beating."

He stopped for a few seconds, but Ethan couldn't think of anything to say. He couldn't imagine what that must've been like. Living in fear of your only living family every single day of your life. It wasn't even just fits of anger, Isaac's dad had tortured him and that required a certain kind of anger and cruelty. To make it even worse, this man did it to his own son, the last remaining member of his own family. Ethan knew he'd never understand how Mr. Lahey's mind had worked, nor did he want to.

"Sometimes when I came here to dig graves … I, uh, would wonder who would end up here first. Me or my dad. I never really thought about suicide, not after I realized I'd be put in a casket and buried."

Isaac stopped and shuddered, making Ethan wonder if a casket reminded Isaac too much of a freezer chest to be comfortable with a typical burial, but there was a question bouncing around in his head and he just had to ask, "Was that the only thing that kept you going?"

With a shake of his head, Isaac spoke quietly, "No. What really kept me going was the idea of making it to college. I just kept thinking that, uh, if I could just make it long enough to get to college and live on campus somewhere then I'd finally be away from my dad. I'd take every scholarship and loan I could, make as much money as I could, and never go back for anything. But, uh, then he drank himself to death and I got sent to live with Scott and his mom and … I just wanted to move on, believe that with my dad dead I wouldn't have to deal with any of that stuff anymore. I guess I was wrong about that."

Ethan squeezed his hand again and moved to stand in front of him, doing his best to ignore the tears in his eyes at Isaac's suffering, "Hey, you survived, Isaac, and you're a great guy. The crap you went through would leave scars on anybody, but you won. Your dad is gone and you're still here. You might have a lot of crap to deal with because of your dad, but I'll help you with that until you say stop."

Isaac nodded, tears in his eyes but they weren't falling down his cheeks, and hugged Ethan who immediately wrapped his arms tightly around Isaac. He sniffled loudly and buried his face in Ethan's shoulder, which he was totally okay with. Any crying at this point seemed justified and Ethan kind of felt like he was reopening wounds by pulling this information out of Isaac. So he held Isaac tight and let a hand drift up into Isaac's curly hair, hoping his presence would be a comfort because Isaac had so much more to deal with than a teenager should.

But after standing there for a few minutes and barely feeling any tears soak into his shirt, Ethan decided to try lightening the mood a little bit, "You said you kept dreaming about making it to college. You must have an idea of what you want to study?"

Neither of them moved away from each as Isaac sniffled and said, "Actually, no. Getting there was the important part. I figured I could just decide on something after I got there."

They fell silent again, but neither of them moved to disentangle themselves. For Ethan, it was just like what he'd said to Isaac. He wasn't going to stop being there for Isaac until Isaac made it clear he didn't want him around anymore. Even then he might try to stick around and still be Isaac's friend. It was terrible what Isaac had gone through and Ethan wanted to do whatever was needed to make Isaac forget all about his dad and what had happened to him.

After a few minutes passed Ethan decided that this was another one of those times when he had to be the one to make the first move, "Thank you for telling me. It all sounds horrible and I wish you hadn't had to deal with that, but I'm glad you trusted me enough to tell me. And its like I've told you before, I intend to stick around and show you a good time. But I'll try to only move at a pace you're comfortable with."

Isaac nodded against his shoulder, "I'm sorry. I just … I just keep waiting for something bad to happen. My life has just sucked for so long I keep wondering how long the good parts will last. How long will this last?"

That answer was easy, "As long as you want it to."


End file.
